Chiac language
Encyclopedia
Chiac is a contact language consisting of Acadian French
heavily mixed and structured with English
. It is spoken as the native and dominant language of most Acadians in southeast New Brunswick
, especially among youth, near Moncton, Dieppe
, Memramcook
and Shediac
. It is a more recent development of the French language, spurred by exposure to dominant English language media (radio, television, internet) and increased urbanization to Moncton and contact with the dominant Anglophone
community in the area since the 1960s especially. The word itself is generally considered a derivation of the name "Shediac
", a town in the area.
The roots and base of Chiac are Acadian French
, a spoken French often tinged with nautical terms (e.g. haler, embarquer), reflecting the historic importance of the sea to the local economy, as well as older French words (e.g., bailler, quérir, hucher, gosier), many deemed archaic by the Académie Française
, testimony to three centuries of relative isolation of Acadian communities from French influence. The collected works of Goncourt Prize-winner Antonine Maillet
, and her play La Sagouine in particular, illustrate very well this variation of French. What sets Chiac apart from Acadian French is that it is a vernacular French mixed with English
. It uses primarily French syntax with French-English vocabulary and phrase forms (see below). It is often deprecated by both French and English speakers as an ill-conceived hybrid — either "bad" French or "bad" English. See franglais
for a wider discussion of this phenomenon.
Chiac has been embraced in recent years by some Acadian
groups as a living and evolving language, and part of their collective culture. Acadian writers, poets and musicians such as France Daigle
, Zero Celsius, Paul Bossé, Fayo
and 1755
have produced works in Chiac.
Recently, Chiac has also made its way onto local television with Acadieman
, a comedy about "The world's first Acadian Superhero" by Dano Leblanc. The animated series, also a comic book, contains a mixture of Anglophone, Francophone, and "Chiacophone" characters. The popular Acadian rap group Radio Radio have also raised the profile of Chiac by rapping almost exclusively in that language. "Acadian" French has been greatly influenced by Chiac as it has spread especially among the younger generations.
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
heavily mixed and structured with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. It is spoken as the native and dominant language of most Acadians in southeast New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, especially among youth, near Moncton, Dieppe
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Dieppe is a Canadian city in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.-Geography:Dieppe is located on the Petitcodiac River east of the adjacent city of Moncton...
, Memramcook
Memramcook, New Brunswick
Memramcook is a Canadian village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac derivative of the French language....
and Shediac
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
. It is a more recent development of the French language, spurred by exposure to dominant English language media (radio, television, internet) and increased urbanization to Moncton and contact with the dominant Anglophone
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...
community in the area since the 1960s especially. The word itself is generally considered a derivation of the name "Shediac
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
", a town in the area.
The roots and base of Chiac are Acadian French
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
, a spoken French often tinged with nautical terms (e.g. haler, embarquer), reflecting the historic importance of the sea to the local economy, as well as older French words (e.g., bailler, quérir, hucher, gosier), many deemed archaic by the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, testimony to three centuries of relative isolation of Acadian communities from French influence. The collected works of Goncourt Prize-winner Antonine Maillet
Antonine Maillet
Antonine Maillet, is an Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar. She was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick and lives in Montreal, Quebec....
, and her play La Sagouine in particular, illustrate very well this variation of French. What sets Chiac apart from Acadian French is that it is a vernacular French mixed with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. It uses primarily French syntax with French-English vocabulary and phrase forms (see below). It is often deprecated by both French and English speakers as an ill-conceived hybrid — either "bad" French or "bad" English. See franglais
Franglais
Franglais , a portmanteau combining the French words "français" and "anglais" , is a slang term for an interlanguage, although the word has different overtones in French and English....
for a wider discussion of this phenomenon.
Chiac has been embraced in recent years by some Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
groups as a living and evolving language, and part of their collective culture. Acadian writers, poets and musicians such as France Daigle
France Daigle
France Daigle is a Canadian author. Born and based in Moncton, New Brunswick, she has published six novels and three plays. She writes in French and has pioneered the use of the Chiac in her written dialogue....
, Zero Celsius, Paul Bossé, Fayo
Fayo
Mario LeBlanc better known under his artist name Fayo , is an Acadian musician born in Dieppe, New Brunswick. As many artists from south eastern New Brunswick, Fayo sings in chiac, the local French dialect mixing French words with English grammar, and vice-versa...
and 1755
1755 (band)
1755 is an Acadian band formed by Kenneth Saulnier, Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin, Donald Boudreau and Ronald Dupuis. The band was active from 1975 to 1984, when it officially disbanded...
have produced works in Chiac.
Recently, Chiac has also made its way onto local television with Acadieman
Acadieman
Acadieman is the first Acadian superhero, created by cartoonist and musician Daniel "Dano" Leblanc. His animated series Acadieman, began airing in late 2005, and can be seen on both Rogers TV and TV Rogers...
, a comedy about "The world's first Acadian Superhero" by Dano Leblanc. The animated series, also a comic book, contains a mixture of Anglophone, Francophone, and "Chiacophone" characters. The popular Acadian rap group Radio Radio have also raised the profile of Chiac by rapping almost exclusively in that language. "Acadian" French has been greatly influenced by Chiac as it has spread especially among the younger generations.
Films
- Éloge du chiac, by Michel BraultMichel BraultMichel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
, NFB, 1969 (27 minutes) - Éloge du chiac Part II, by Marie Cadieux, 2009 (77 minutes)
External links
- Je suis acadien - an example of Chiac
- The Chiac verb particle construction - A linguistics paper (beginning on page 56 of the pdf document) examining certain features of Chiac grammar.
- Music video for Radio Radio's song "Jacuzzi", with captions.
- Interview with Radio Radio about chiac - Starts at 12:00 minutes in
See also
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and UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
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and PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
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