Language Atlas

How Languages Connect
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Dialects and Varieties

Acadian French

French Dialects and Varieties

Acadian French is a variety of French spoken by the Acadians, mostly in the historical region of Acadia in Canada, with communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec and across the border in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. It had about 370,000 native speakers according to 1996 and 2006 census figures, and descends from Old French through Middle French as part of the Oil language groups Francien zone. It comprises seven regional accents, including Chiac, which shows strong English influence, and Brayon, and its closest North American relative is Louisiana French, since both communities trace back to populations affected by the Expulsion of the Acadians.

Facts
Region
Acadian French is spoken by Acadians mainly in the Acadia region of Canada, across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, plus parts of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. 1
Speaker Community
Acadian French had about 370,000 native speakers as cited in 1996 and 2006 census figures. 1
Distinguishing Features
Acadian French retained features that died out elsewhere during nineteenth century French standardization, including an alveolar trill for r and a distinct pronunciation of third-person plural verb endings such as -ont. 1
Classification
Variety Kind
Regional Dialect 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Acadian French
Wikimedia Foundation
  • History section, retained-features sentence
    Acadian French retained features that died out during the French standardization efforts of the 19th century
  • Lead section, opening sentence
    Acadian French is a variety of French spoken by Acadians, mostly in the region of Acadia, Canada
  • Infobox, native speakers field
    Native speakers (370,000 cited 1996, 2006)
  • Variety kind, Acadian French entity page
    Acadian French is a variety of French spoken by the Acadians, mostly in the historical region of Acadia in Canada, with communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec and across the border in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.