Department of French Studies. A number of resources exist for those looking for Cajun French vocabulary, but all of them pose problems for LSU students in Cajun French because they are either too regional in scope, too inconsistent in spelling, or too theoretical in approach for beginning students. Therefore, in response to our students' expressed need for a basic vocabulary resource, we are in the process of building a glossary based upon the units covered in Cajun French , , , , and at LSU.
We have tried to make the entries and explanations as clear and straightforward as possible. We'll be adding entries on a regular basis as we need them for courses, so please check with us again. Also, if you are a native speaker of Cajun French and have entries to suggest or comments about the entries already here, feel free to contact us at alafleu lsu.
It is especially useful to us to hear about regional differences, which abound in Louisiana French. Quelque chose de neuf!!!!! We are adding links to entries which will allow you to hear how words are pronounced by a Louisiana French speaker.
When you see a term, you may be able to click on it to hear the word. Pronunciation in Louisiana French is highly variable by region, but the pronunciation you hear is nonetheless representative of a "typical speaker.
A note about pronunciation:The upper-case letters in brackets at the beginning of some entries are meant to serve as a rough guide to the pronunciation of words using an English-based spelling system. We are using an English-based system since most of our students are native English speakers, but you should keep in mind that French pronunciation has traits that make such a comparison only approximative.
