New England French
| New England French | |
|---|---|
| français de Nouvelle-Angleterre | |
| Native to | United States (New England) (primarily Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) |
Native speakers | 120,000 (2001)[citation needed] |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
New England French (French: français de Nouvelle-Angleterre) is a variety of Canadian French spoken in the New England region of the United States.[1]
New England French is one of the major forms of the French language that developed in what is now the United States, the others being Louisiana French and the nearly extinct Missouri French, Muskrat French and Métis French.
The dialect is the predominant form of French spoken in New England (apart from standard French), except in the Saint John Valley of northern Aroostook County, Maine, where Acadian French predominates.
The dialect is endangered, but its use is supported by bilingual education programs in place since 1987.[1]
Number of French-speakers by state
The figures below include speakers of any French dialect, as estimated during the 2012-2016 American Community Survey:[2]
| State | Number of speakers | Proportion of state's population |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | 38,695 | 3.06% |
| New Hampshire | 21,260 | 1.68% |
| Vermont | 8,508 | 1.43% |
| Rhode Island | 9,382 | 0.94% |
| Massachusetts | 54,710 | 0.86% |
| Connecticut | 25,828 | 0.76% |
Francophone communities in New England
French language spoken at home by more than 10% of the population, as estimated for the 2011-2015 American Community Survey:[3][4][5]
| Community | State | Percent French-speaking | Total population of community (2010 census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewiston | Maine | 14.7% | 36,592 |
| Berlin | New Hampshire | 16.7% | 10,051 |
| Sabattus | Maine | 12.9% | 4,876 |
| Lyman | Maine | 10.1% | 4,344 |
| Fort Kent | Maine | 47.5% | 4,097 |
| Madawaska | Maine | 61.8% | 4,035 |
| Van Buren | Maine | 56.5% | 2,171 |
| Milan | New Hampshire | 13.6% | 1,337 |
| Frenchville | Maine | 67.4% | 1,087 |
| Stewartstown | New Hampshire | 16.0% | 1,004 |
| Canaan | Vermont | 22.8% | 972 |
| Eagle Lake | Maine | 40.1% | 864 |
| St. Agatha | Maine | 56.6% | 747 |
| Wallagrass | Maine | 46.9% | 546 |
| St. Francis | Maine | 38.2% | 485 |
| Grand Isle | Maine | 62.6% | 467 |
| Portage Lake | Maine | 15.7% | 391 |
| New Canada | Maine | 40.7% | 321 |
| Caswell | Maine | 14.7% | 306 |
| Dummer | New Hampshire | 12.2% | 304 |
| Errol | New Hampshire | 13.1% | 291 |
| Saint John Plantation | Maine | 44.2% | 267 |
| Clarksville | New Hampshire | 17.2% | 265 |
| Winterville | Maine | 39.0% | 224 |
| Hamlin | Maine | 62.8% | 219 |
| Norton | Vermont | 24.2% | 169 |
| Cyr Plantation | Maine | 55.9% | 103 |
| Wentworth's Location | New Hampshire | 12.1% | 33 |
| Ferdinand | Vermont | 30.0% | 32 |
| Dennistown | Maine | 59.3% | 30 |
| Averill | Vermont | 11.1% | 24 |
See also
- Cajun French
- Acadian French
- French language in the United States
- Early Franco-American newspapers
- Louisiana French
- French language in Canada
- Canadian French
- American French
References
- ^ a b Ammon, Ulrich; International Sociological Association (1989). Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 306–308. ISBN 0899253563. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ "Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over (B16001): All States Within United States, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over (B16001): All County Subdivisions within Maine, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ "Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over (B16001): All County Subdivisions within New Hampshire, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ "Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over (B16001): All County Subdivisions within Vermont, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
External links
- Recordings of New England French, Eloise A. Briere, University of Massachusetts Amherst Special Collections