"Creole" and Its Meaning In Louisiana Law and History

James Etienne Viator, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, has published Kreyol-Ye, Kadjen-Ye, E Lalwa a Langaj Dan Lalwizyann [Creoles, Cajuns, and Language Law in Louisiana] at 60 Loy. L. Rev. 273 (2014). Here is the abstract.

This article, written in Cajun French and English, examines the word “Creole” and the history of laws about the French language in Louisiana. In recent decades, a growing awareness of the historical diminution of linguistic minorities and their languages around the world has led to increased efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of such minorities. In Louisiana, after decades of relegating Cajun French to second class status, in 1968 the Louisiana legislature created the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), a state agency tasked with preserving “Louisiana’s French language, heritage and culture.” The act establishing CODOFIL mandated that the Council “do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization, and preservation of the French language as found in the State of Louisiana.” But instead of teaching Cajun French, most Louisiana schools taught standard French, the purpose of CODOFIL was never fully realized, and both the Cajun French language, and culture, are still at risk of disappearing.

(A version of this article, in standard French, is available at 60 Loyola Law Review 297 (2014) and at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2572642)

Download the text from SSRN at the link.