New England French

New England French
français de Nouvelle-Angleterre
Native toUnited States
(New England) (primarily Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont)
Native speakers
170,000 (2015)[1][a]
Early forms
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone
Linguasphere51-AAA-iid
Percentage of population speaking French at home, including other dialects but excluding French-based creoles (2015)[1]
  10–15%
  5–10%
  1–5%
  0.5-1%
Speakers by total population

Population speaking French at home, including other dialects (2015)

  >15000
  10000-15000
  5000-10000
  2500-5000
  1000-2500
  500-1000
  <500

New England French (French: français de Nouvelle-Angleterre) is a variety of French spoken in the New England region of the United States.[4] It descends from Canadian French because it originally came from French Canadians who immigrated to New England during the Grande Hémorragie.

New England French is one of the major forms of the French language that developed in what is now the United States, the others being Louisiana French and the nearly extinct Missouri French, Muskrat French and Métis French. The dialect is the predominant form of French spoken in New England (apart from standard French), except in the Saint John Valley of northern Aroostook County, Maine, where Brayon French predominates.

The dialect is endangered. After the First World War, laws were instituted banning immersive bilingual teaching outside of dedicated foreign-language classes, and during the 1960s and 1970s some public schools disciplined students for speaking French in school; however, in recent years it has seen renewed interest and is supported by bilingual education programs in place since 1987.[4] A continuing trend of reduced bilingual and foreign-language education has affected the language's prevalence in younger generations.[5][6] However, cultural programs in recent years have led to renewed interest between older generations speaking the dialect, and the language has also been bolstered by newly arrived refugee populations from Francophone Africa in cities such as Lewiston.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b "Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over (B16001): Connecticut, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2022-05-24). "Glottolog 4.8 - Shifted Western Romance". Glottolog. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Archived from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  3. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2022-05-24). "Glottolog 4.8 - Oil". Glottolog. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  4. ^ a b Ammon, Ulrich; International Sociological Association (1989). Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 306–308. ISBN 978-0899253565. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  5. ^ Pendleton, Clarence M. Jr.; Smith, Mary Louise; Berry, Mary Frances; Ramirez, Blandina Cardenas; Ruckshaus, Jill S.; Saltzman, Murray; Hoff, Philip H. (May 1983). Franco-Americans In Vermont; A Civil Rights Perspective (Report). Vermont Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. OCLC 123220631.
  6. ^ "French is dying in northern Maine. Here's why". News Center Maine. Portland, Maine. April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Fillak, Jessica (August 7, 2018). "In Maine, French Culture Experiences a Revival". Frenchly. New York: French Morning Media Group. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Louder, Dean R (1991). Le Québec et les francophones de la Nouvelle-Angleterre. Université Laval. pp. 70–77. ISBN 9782763772738.


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