Pourquoi le français acadien n'est pas le 'franglais'

C'est quoi le français acadien?

Une chose que ce n'est point, c'est un mélange du français pis l'anglais.

Souvent, je me suis demandé si le français acadien ce n'est-y pas seulement le franglais... Pis avec la promulgation des groupes musicaux acadiens comme RadioRadio et Lisa LeBlanc, qui utilisent des mots en anglais dans leurs chansons, il y a eu récemment toute une réaction négative de la francophonie d'ailleurs (médias Québécois en particulier). (ps- euj LOVE Lisa LeBlanc et RadioRadio- juste pour le 'record').

Ça fait trois ans que je présente dans des communautés acadiennes sur pourquoi c'est ok de parler à leur enfant en acadien, et encore, pourquoi le français acadien n'est pas un 'mauvais' français.

Le français acadien c'est presqu'une autre langue... si on y considère strictement d'une façon linguistique (et non pas 'politique'). En plus des différences d'accent et de vocabulaire, il y a des différences de grammaire. Et non, ce n'est pas uniquement des anglicismes, mais plutôt des archaïsmes. Il y a des règles qu'il faut suivre, qui nécessite que le français acadien n'est pas incorrect dans le sense d'une langue.

(Mon 'vlog début'... eek!)

Je comprends à 100% pourquoi quelqu'un qui n'a jamais, jamais entendu mon accent, pourrait croire que c'est un accent d'une anglophone qui essaie de parler en français... c'est un accent bizarre d'un village isolé de moins de 2000 personnes. Mais moi, si j'entends une personne deuxième langue français à côté de quelqu'un de shu nous j'entends la différence. C'est juste que mes /r/ ne sont pas cracher pis un peu plat et euj twang mes voyelles nasales. Les francophiles, français deuxième langues ne font point ça.

Itou, mon accent à moi, ce n'est pas le même qu'un accent de quelqu'un de Wedgeport qu'est 45minutes de route de shu-nous. Ni le même qu'un accent de Saulnierville, de Chéticamp, d'Arichat, ou de Pomquet.

(Eric Surette, chanteur et compositeur acadien des îles-Surettes avec sa chanson 'Mon dernier pêche'= des beaux exemples de passé simple, vocabulaire acadien, un autre accent que le mien ET l'utilisation des mots en anglais)

Finalement, sur le sujet du 'franglais'. Oui- beaucoup d'acadiens utilisent des mots en anglais lorsqu'on est confortable, lorsqu'on est créatif, lorsqu'on communique entre nous. Car, pour la majorité de nous, nous avec notre histoire de déportation, on vie dans un monde 'anglais'. On est bilingue. C'qui n'est pas une faiblesse, mais une force: au lieu de seulement une langue, moi j'ai accès à deux pour m'exprimer. En plus, il y a des règles à suivre pour insérer des mots en anglais- et où il y a des règles; il y a une sorte de 'grammaire' et niveau de 'correcte'.

Ainsi qu'être bilingue, les acadiens sont un peuple humble et par culture et histoire 'cols-bleu'. C'qui veut dire que l'utilisation de mots 'techniques' ou d'un haut niveau en français est souvent considéré culturellement et socialement comme un 'snobbisme'. Oui, on sait qu'un 'van' en français c'est une fourgonnette... mais qui'ce qui dit 'euj décollirent dans notre fourgonnette' anyway?

Yoga isn't filling the Creative Space

I started writing songs again.

The gap? about 4 years.

For the past 9 months I've been putting in lyric writing time every weekend at a local coffee shop. For the past 4 months or so it's been only in French. Just for sh%ts and giggles ya know? To see if I could.

I can.

I wrote a song in Acadian French. My first one ever. I transcribed it lovingly in my songbook. A small book that holds all the songs I've written since grade 10. Dated, with chords. I'm not really a computer song storage kinda gal.

I'd show you evidence but....

I lost my songbook.

It's like it never existed. Poof.

Thank goodness I recorded a few of my songs and was forced to type and print out a few of my favourites.

The Acadian song? Not so lucky.

One day (when we move) the songbook Troll will hopefully give it up from her clutches.

I'm actually wondering if this should be an opportunity to invest in a new (larger) songbook and to start fresh. To really give'er on the song writing front. Not to get a record deal, or become famous, just to fill a need. A creativity hole Yoga isn't solid enough to fill.

My tarot confirms what I already knew:

I've got way better songs waiting to be made.

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Eco Soap Carrier and Travelling in Nova Scotia!

Check out my post on how to make an "Eco Soap Carrier" sans plastic at the Green Phone Booth!

And to take you there here are a few pictures of my work travels over the past two weeks:

A map of Nova Scotia, Canada. From Halifax, last week I drove to Isle Madame (which has Arichat and Petit de Grat) then Sydney. This week I drove from Halifax to Greenwood, Clare and then Argyle.

 All Acadian Regions have these special bilingual exit signs with the Acadian Flag :)

Arichat on Isle Madame truly has beautiful beaches

Still on Isle Madame, Petit De Grat has the cutest sign! Acadian colours and the star!

Me at the Governors Pub in Sydney, Cape Breton. The best draught and local music!

 Sydney's Opera House with their giant violon. It's right on the harbour.

The view from my hotel in Clare. This is the ocean at low tide- at high tide the ocean covers the entire shore. Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy has some of the world's largest tides.

A very south western Nova Scotia Acadian dish- Rappie Pie (or La rapure). In Clare it's kinda runny, I prefer Pubnico's version (but then it's what I grew up with). Finely grated potatoes, chicken (or wild game) baked in the oven. In Par-en-bas we put molasses on it too. Yum!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Bilingualism: Myths and Facts

**Yoga the environment and blogging are definitely an evening-weekends thing for me. My 8-4 job, Paediatric Bilingual Francophone Consultant Speech-Language Pathologist takes up most of my thoughts and time. I love my job and am very happy to share this little bit of evidence based info for y'all. Email me if you'd like specific research supporting these statements, or a reference list.


NB: Each country has a different climate with regards to bilingualism and second language learning. In Canada French is highly valued and Canada has two official languages, English and French. However, research is showing that as a bottom line: humans are wired to learn more than one language. 

Bilingualism: Myths and Facts

MYTH: Learning two languages is more difficult than learning one.

FACT: Children are capable of learning two languages without particular cognitive difficulty. The brain does not add information, but processes it in a much more complex way and can easily handle two languages at once.

MYTH: Children who are learning two languages start talking later than those who only learn one.

FACT: Children who are learning two languages should begin talking at the same time as those who are learning only one: first words between 12-14 months, combining words ('juice daddy') between 18-21 months. If your child isn't combining words at 21 months it may be prudent to refer to a speech and language assessment.

MYTH: Mixing both languages (i.e. 'franglais') is a sign that the child has not mastered either language and should be corrected as soon as possible.

FACT: Mixing two languages (using English words in French sentences and vice versa) is natural and expected for bilingual speakers, child or adult. It is not considered a sign that the child is confused about their language development and should not be corrected.

MYTH: Acadian French isn't 'good' French and is harming the language development of my child.

FACT: Acadian French isn't 'wrong' but is simply an older version of standard French, many words and phrases originating in the 1600's and 1800's. Even grammatical differences (like 'j'allions' and 'j'avions') are older ways of conjugating verbs. Acadian French has grammatical and vocabulary rules just like all other languages and dialects and as a result is simply different.

MYTH: Learning two language is more (or too) difficult for children with a language delay.

FACT: As the brain does not process language by adding information, learning two languages isn't too difficult than learning one. Therefore learning two languages isn't too difficult for a child with a communication delay. In fact, being bilingual can help support communication skills of children who are struggling by providing them with resources from a whole other language.

MYTH: If we remove (or concentrate on) only one language this will be better for my child's communication development.

FACT: Bilingualism neither harms nor delays a child's language development. If the child has difficulty in one language, they will struggle in the other. Removing one language will not make learning the other language easier to learn for the child. Instead...

Removing one language could:

1. Limit the child to only one language for communication, whereas before the child had access to two languages.
2. Reduce the child's capacity and quality of communication with their family, community and friends.
3. Lead to a reduction in self-esteem and family attachment (we use communication to get to know each other, language binds us. If the family is using both languages and the child is only allowed to use one, this restricts the child and the family's ability to adequately communicate and connect).
4. Impact the child's self-identity with regards to their family (who may be bilingual while they are not), their community and their culture.
5. Diminish education and job opportunities (depending on geography).
6. Reduce the number and quality of language and vocabulary models.

Any questions? or Comments? feel free to comment or email me :) I have plenty of resources!

 article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Acadian Yo: Music Jam!

A little doodiddly for you, my readers...

I'm almost embarrassed to post it here, as it doesn't exactly showcase my voice OR my guitar skills.

Still... after another visit to Montréal I feel the need to share two of my favourite Acadian songs:

'M'En allant à Saulnierville Station' by Suroît, which is actually a Québécois band (but the song is about Clare Nova Scotia... which is close to my home).

 

Hé Yaille Yaille (also by Suroît): This one's actually written from a Cajun (Louisiana) perspective. I can totally relate, except for the gumbo, cuz I was pretty darn homesick while living in BC and I also 'parle en 'Cadien' or 'Cajun'. (Cajuns are Acadian's distant cousins- we both are descendants of the original Acadians who settled in Acadie. Cajuns are those who were deported to Louisiana, whereas my ancestors hid out with the First Nations Mi'kmaq until the burning and pillaging had subsided. My Acadian village is the oldest still Acadian today, settled in the mid-1600s).

Please disregard the awkward way I'm playing... feels weird to play with a green light rolling lol. Weirdly enough, I'm not really a twangy country music kinda gal... although my voice sure sounds that way here!

Blessings!

article and video copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Quilting: Pieces of my Grand-mère traveling across Canada

Our wedding quilt on our queen size bed.

I grew up with quilts on each bed. With extras for snuggling up with when we were cold. I remember as a child walking into my grand-mère's upstairs large room overlooking the shed, field and finally the harbour, and seeing her four quilting posts set up. A few times she would have an unfinished quilt attached to the four corners and we would crawl around underneath like it was a fort.

That was when we were really little.

Grand-mère hasn't been quilting for decades.

check out the stitching- hand done all perfectly straight and even.

My mom tells me the ladies in the community would all gather around the quilting posts, gossip and quilt for entire afternoons. Once the ladies left, often grand-mère would go behind them, undo their stitches and re-quilt... she was ridiculously particular about needing the most perfect, tiny and even stitch. Because of her perfectionism and constant re-stitching, mom says she just gave up learning how to quilt. Who has time for hours of sewing these days?

It really wasn't until I met Andrew that I truly understood that I took my beloved 'grand-mère quilts' for granted. He grew up with synthetic, fuzzy blankets and never had quilts on the bed.

Fisherman's quilt and another grand-mère quilt we have stored in our vintage blue trunk

Growing up I inherited the most wonderful quilt of all: grand-mère's 'Fisherman's quilt'. I received this ugly mishmash of colours with the most soft flannel backing in high school. Out of all the quilts, the fisherman's quilts are the ugliest. Made from any old scrap fabric the ladies had lying around, they were stitched together in practical squares with extra stuffing and a flannel backing. They weren't supposed to be pretty, but were meant to keep the men warm while out fishing; in doreys or sword fishing like my grand-père used to do.

the soft back flannel part! fraying now at the edges... :(

Fisherman's quilt... my favourite

I adore that quilt. It has followed me through my undergrad, crossing the Bay of Fundy for four years on the stinky Digby Ferry; comforting while I was homesick and having my heart broken for the very first time. I dragged it to Montreal for two years where it witnessed the roller-coaster ride of my life there and was volunteered as my first 'yoga mat' (umm not really ideal). I even rolled up my grand-mère's quilt, tied with some nylon twine (dad's lobster fishing neon orange!) on top of my luggage and lived for two years with us in the Okanagan valley.

It has been a part of my life for over fourteen years now. Even though grand-mère and grand-père never had a driver's license or traveled much after their wedding anniversary, a little piece of them made it across the country and back with me.

Before she stopped quilting, grand-mère had quilted each of the grandchildren a wedding quilt. They were all tucked away in trunks, waiting for us to each get married.

Unfortunately, we all waited a bit too long. Grand-mère was recently diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's type. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I know exactly what that means, and have been seeing the signs of her crumbling memory for years now. By the time my cousin and I got married, she no longer remembered that she had lovingly stitched those quilts for us to have at our wedding. She wasn't able to attend Andrew and my wedding last fall as she was too fragile to travel the three hours to Oceanstone. I'm still sad to this day that she missed such a special part in my life.

Now when I look at the quilts, especially the fisherman's quilt, they are so precious. That pink square is fabric from grand-mère's old pajamas I remember her wearing as a child, the orange squares are from her old blouse, some of the blue squares are from grand-père's old shirts and trousers. Grand-père passed into the afterlife two years ago.

These quilts have truly come to represent the fading craft that we used to take in creating gifts and objects with meaning. Of frugality and care. Of community and love.

We've become so busy in our lives trying to make money, fit in 'date night' or 'family time' that we've forgotten what it's like to just BE.

I wish my grand-mère's quilts could last forever, keeping her memory with me through all the steps life and the Goddess will offer me.

Blessings and Happy Full Moon!


article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Shu bénaise: Acadian word of the week!

Bénaise:

adjectif, Content, heureux. 'Je suis bénaise d'avoir pratiqué le yoga au parc mardi soir!'

Répart géographique: Maritimes (sauf le nord-ouest du N-B), îles de la Madeleine, sud de la Gaspésie, Basse-Côte-Nord; attestations sporadiques au Québec où la forme bien-aise est plus courante; rares attestations en Louisiane.

Historique: Depuis 1906, héritage de la France; attesté sous la forme benaise vers 1750. Elle même une variante de bien aise, signalé dès la fin du 15e siècle et aujourd'hui consigné avec les marques 'vieux' ou 'littéraire'. La forme benaise (ou benèze, benèse) est largement répandue dans le domaine d'oïl ainsi qu'au franco-provençal.

(Dictionnaire du français acadien, Yves Cormier; 1999 p.90)


Bénaise ('Baynayz')
adjective, pleased, happy. 'I'm happy that I practiced yoga in the park Tuesday evening!'

Use geographically: Maritimes (except the north-west of NB), Madeleine islands, south of Gaspésie, a few reports in Québec where the form 'bien-aise' is more currently used, rare reports in Louisiana.

History: Since 1906, originating from France, reported under the form benaise around 1750. A variant of bien aise, used since the end of the 15th century and today considered 'archaic' or a 'litterary' term. The form benaise (or benèze, benèse) is largely used in 'le domaine d'oïl' and franco-provençal.

Today I feel thankful for:

• a renewed sense of yoga and fabulous Yin and Restore practice last night. Who knew, but the yoga instructor is actually from my tiny village three hours south!
• the happenstance of meeting Anne-M. at said yin class (facebook-blog friend!).
• a day of rest from work.
• friends and family who I feel especially close to and supported by recently.
• the chance to meet Roseanne from the now on break, its all yoga, baby blog in a few weeks on my trip to Montreal.
• the opportunity to write lyrics while sipping the most yummy coffee at Smiling Goat this afternoon.
• that despite a feeling of being overwhelmed, I take heart that so many of you care about our Earth and are striving to make a difference.

Pour quoi-ce que vous êtes bénaise?

article and photograph copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Le mot de la semaine/Word of the Week

Larguer:

Verbe
Lâcher prise, laisser échapper, laisser tomber. 'Larguer une assiette' ou 'Largue ouaire!'

Répart. géographique: Partout: quelques attestations au Québec.

Historique: Depuis 1895, héritage de France. Attesté au sense de 'lâcher (ce qu'on tient)' en français dans les 1700s et 1800s., et relevé dans les parlers du Nord, du Nord-Ouest et de l'Ouest (de la France). Cet emploi découle du sens maritime de 'lâcher le cordage qui retient une voile par le bas' attesté en français depuis les 1600s.


(Dictionnaire du français acadien, 1999, Yves Cormier, p. 260)

Larguer:

Verb.
To let go, let escape, let fall.

Areas used: Everywhere (in Acadie), some usage in Quebec.

History: Since 1895, originating from France. Linguistic meaning from 'let something go' en French since the 1700s and 1800s from the North, North-west and Western speakers in France. The Acadian use originated and evolved from the maritime sense of 'letting go of the rope that holds the bottom of the sail' which was used since the 1600s.


I am definitely 'largu-ing' (je largue tout!) this weekend after a long week of work :) Also, I actually didn't know this wasn't a standard French word until I moved to Québec and tried to use it in conversation... lol.

Bonne fin de semaine!

Acadian Word of the Week

"Valdrague, À la":

Image from 'Patrimoine acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse'

Adverbe: En désordre, à l'abandon. "Son logis est à la valdrague."  (logis=maison)

Répart. géographique: Partout (sauf le nord-ouest du Nouveau Brunswick), quelques attestations au Québec: rares attestations en Louisiane.

Historique: Depuis 1906, héritage des parlers de France: relevé dans les parlers du Nord-Ouest et de l'Ouest au sens de 'pêle-mêle'. La variante 'en valdrague' est notamment attestée dans Littré 1863 au sens maritime d' "en mauvais ordre"; en outre les formes à l'avaldrague ou en avaldrague ont été relevées dans les parlers de l'île Jersey (en Normandie) au sens d'"en ruine: peu soigné".

(Dictionnaire du français acadien, Yves Cormier, 1999, p. 373).

ENGLISH: (pls note, I am not a translator...)

À la valdrague:
Adverb: in disorder

Geographic: everywhere (except the North-West of New Brunswick), a few reports in Québec, rare reports in Louisiana.

History: Since 1906, heritage of France French, specifically French speakers from the North-West and West. The variant 'en valdrague' was notably attested in 'Littré' 1863 in the maritime sense of 'in disorder, bad order'. Additionally, the forms 'l'avaldrague' or 'en avaldrague' have been reported in speakers from Jersey Island (Normandy) as: 'in ruin: not well cared for'.

This is such a perfect word to describe people or even spaces (like a messy room). No equivalent word in modern French or English. I adore this word. :)