essay
Language and ethnic identity in south Louisiana: implications of data from Mamou Prairie
Quebec and Acadian diaspora in North America • Toronto, Ont. • Published In 1982 • Pages: 39-64
By: Gold, Gerald L..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is an analysis of French language use in a single sub-region of Louisiana -- Mamou Prairie. A basic finding of the research indicates that language and ethnic identity in Mamou Prairie are more closely tied to regional changes in occupational structure and the prevailing economy than to state-wide or national changes affecting all of 'French Louisiana.' Gold points out, however, that neither local nor national influences have affected the use of the French language in Mamou Prairie in a linear or uniform manner. Technological change, public education in the English language, and television, all have negative effects on the generational transmission of French, but assimilation rates, based on census data generalizations, and exogamy are not sufficient by themselves to account for the tenacity of French within certain sectors of the population, or for that matter in shifts that are made in language use within the life-cycles of individuals (p. 40).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Sociocultural trends
- Cultural identity and pride
- Language
- Settlement patterns
- Occupational specialization
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Cajuns
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1995
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle, 1993
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1975-1980 (p.61)
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- not specified
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Mamou Prairie, Louisiana, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- Gerald L. Gold
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Cajuns