On the first day of first grade, my mother could speak exactly one sentence in English: “My name is Vivian.”
My mother’s family was Louisiana French and her household communicated via the patois called Cajun French. In schools in the 1930s, however, it was believed that speaking English was necessary to get ahead. Speaking your ancestral language would hold you back in modern society. At my mother’s school, children who spoke Cajun French got their knuckles rapped with a ruler by the teacher. Louisiana French children learned to answer their teachers in English or not speak at all. The language wars are nothing new. Continue reading “Crash Course in Cajun French”
I intended this to be a 2-part series, but after I began answering questions, I saw the need for three parts. Today is a history and culture lesson. On Wednesday, a lexicon of Louisiana and Cajun French phrases and words.
Writers from all three counties will read works to promote a new anthology showcasing Delaware authors. CURRENTS: Selected Poetry & Prose from the 2014 Cape Henlopen Retreat Writers is a collection of poems, short fiction, and essays from authors who were selected to attend the Delaware Division of the Arts’ biennial writers retreat. Twenty working Delaware writers contributed to the anthology. 
Ramona DeFelice Long 