Canada Acadian Acadian French is a variant of French spoken by Francophone
Acadians in the
Canadian Maritime provinces, the
Saint John River Valley in the northern part of the U.S. state of
Maine, the
Magdalen Islands and
Havre-Saint-Pierre, along the St. Lawrence's north shore. Speakers of
Metropolitan French and even of other Canadian dialects have some difficulty understanding Acadian French. Notable features include and becoming and and becoming before
front vowels and the use of some archaic words.
Chiac Chiac is a dialect of combined Acadian French and English and is spoken mainly around
Moncton,
New Brunswick. The pronunciation of French words is very different from other dialects and resembles English pronunciation. Chiac cannot be identified solely on its frequent use of English words since many other French dialects use many English words as well, but Chiac has an unusual amount of English. Chiac French has developed through proximity to English-speakers who settled nearby during the colonial period. Sounds that are characteristic of Chiac are the different use of the letters "d", "t", "r", and "c". Other differences include the use of vowel sounds such as "ea", "eo", "on", "an", and "oi". Such English-stylized pronunciations are different from other dialects of North American French such as Québécois and Brayon. Some forms of Chiac deviate from the original language to the extent that it is nearly incomprehensible to the larger Francophone community. Chiac is perhaps best categorized as a
creole language alongside
Haitian Creole and
Louisiana Creole, French dialects that incorporate Indigenous, African, and other European languages, as opposed to dialects such as Québécois and Brayon that deviate slightly from
Metropolitan French but are nonetheless derived primarily from earlier dialects of French with little contribution from other source languages.
Newfoundland Newfoundland French is a regional dialect of French that was once spoken by settlers in the French colony of
Newfoundland.
Quebec Quebec French is the dominant and most prevalent regional
variety of French found in
Canada. Although Quebec French constitutes a coherent and standard system, it has no objective norm since the very organization mandated to establish it, the , believes that objectively standardizing
Quebec French would lead to reduced inter intelligibility with other French communities around the world.
Ontario Ontario French is often divided into two categories: North and South. The further north the more French is spoken and the closer the dialect and culture is to Quebec French. Further south, the French is closer to the global standard, with a more English cultural influence as well as a more Parisian grammar and dialect structure. Both Parisian and Canadian French are taught in the French immersion schools. Notable features include , , and as allophones of , , and in closed syllables and affrication of and to and before and (the word
tu is pronounced ). Long vowels are generally diphthongized in closed syllables (the word
fête is pronounced ).
United States Several varieties of French emerged in the
United States:
Louisiana French,
New England French and the nearly-extinct
Frenchville French,
Missouri French,
Muskrat French and
Métis French.
Louisiana Louisiana French, the largest of the groupings, is spoken mostly in
Louisiana and derives from the forms of the language spoken by the colonists of lower
French Louisiana. Louisiana French is traditionally divided into three dialects:
Colonial French,
Modern Louisiana French or "Acadian" French, and
Louisiana Creole French. Colonial French was originally the dialect spoken by the land-holding educated classes. Acadian, the dialect of the
Acadians who came to French Louisiana in droves following their
expulsion from Acadia during the
French and Indian War, was spoken largely by the white lower classes. Louisiana Creole, a
creole that developed long before Haitian immigrants arrived in Louisiana, largely developed as the tongue of the Louisiana Creole community and a significant portion of self-identified Cajuns. However, linguists now believe that the Colonial and Acadian dialects have largely merged into modern Louisiana French but remain distinct from Louisiana Creole. except in the
Saint John Valley of northern
Aroostook County, Maine, where
Acadian French predominates. ==Caribbean==