Creole is, Creole ain't

Diachronic and synchronic attitudes toward Creole identity in southern Louisiana

Bibliographic Data

ID2849240
AuthorsSylvie Dubois (0000-0001-6639-4063, Louisiana State University), Megan Melançon (Louisiana State University)
Year2000
Volume29
Issue2
Pages237-258
Publication date2000-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage in Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-4045 • E-ISSN: 1469-8013
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0047404500002037
OpenAlexW2071369759
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited5

Creole identity in Louisiana acquired diverse meanings for several ethnic groups during the French and Spanish regimes, before and after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, and through the last part of the 20th century. In spite of a strong shift toward "Black" identity by many African Americans in the state, those who are fluent Creole French speakers now seem to be the repository of Louisiana Creole identity. This article presents a diachronic study of the different meanings applied to Creole identity which resulted from dramatic social, political, and economic changes. It also delimits and defines the actual attributes of Creole identity within two representative African American communities. Because of the historical and political conditions underlying Creole identity, African Americans who still identify as Creoles insist on linguistic attributes, rather than on the criterion of race, as essential characteristics of their ethnic identity

Aesthetics · Art · Creole language · English-based creole languages · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Genealogy · Identity (music) · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Gender Studies · History · Law · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy

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