Language is an important aspect of identity. This investigation of the speech of Native American francophones in four communities in the Lafourche basin of Southern Louisiana will be the first extensive study of Native American French and its link with ethnicity. Ethnic categorization in Louisiana has undergone a number of changes historically, and this research will present a new perspective on this ongoing process. The communities to be studied are located on land that is threatened by coastal erosion that is proceeding so rapidly, particularly with the recent increased intensity of hurricanes, that they may be permanently evacuated within the next ten years. This study may therefore be the last opportunity to document the language before the communities disappear.
Interviews with native French speakers of both Native American and White (Cajun) descent will be digitally recorded and videotaped. In order to test the claim that residents can identify a speaker's ethnic and/or regional origin, Ms. Dajko will play segments of pre-recorded speech and ask informants to identify the ethnic and geographic origin of the speakers of the passages presented. Quantitative analysis using multivariate statistics will allow the researcher to establish relationships between linguistic variation and ethnicity, and informants' ascription to others of ethnic affiliation, sex, and geographic origin. In addition to filling in the gaps in our understanding of the linguistic situation in the Lafourche basin, the study will provide further insight into the relationship between Louisiana French and ethnicity, and contribute to the broader study of ethnic and racial boundaries as they interact with linguistic boundaries. Furthermore, it will enhance our understanding of identity in post-colonial contexts, particularly as it concerns Native American groups and the processes of acculturation and identity formation.
The results will have significant political as well as academic impact. For instance, federal government policy involving the recognition of native groups is based on and informed by scholarly approaches to identity, ethnicity, and language. An important corollary of this study will be the documentation of the language for the purposes of cultural documentation and language revitalization.
