Is French on the decline

Evolving French Presence in North America: Florida is Continent’s Fastest Growing French-Speaking Community.

The concentration of French home language speakers in the United States
shifted somewhat over the course of the 1990’s. Whereas in 1990 the state that reported the largest number of French home speakers was Louisiana a decade later it fell into third place behind Florida and New York. In the case of Florida it saw a gain of 75% in the number of French home speakers between the years 1990 and 2000. Two sources accounting for the increase were immigrants from Haiti and Quebec francophones. While we can estimate the number of Haitian arrivals from US immigration figures the numbers of francophones arriving from Canada are more difficult to determine. This soaring French language population in Florida makes it the second most numerous of such communities after Quebec when compared to any State or Province on the continent on the basis of language spoken at home. As observed below it thus surpasses Ontario that was previously home to the second largest provincial French language group in
North America.

Number of persons speaking the French Language at home in the United States, Canada and the
States with the largest number of French Home Speakers, 1990 and 200

Florida 337,605, 194,783
Ontario 326,030, 318,700
New York 295,556, 236,099
New Brunswick 220,505, 223,300
Louisiana 198,784, 261,678
California 139,174 132,657
Massachusetts 128,003, 124,973
Maine 63,694, 81,012
Texas 65,778, 64,585
Connecticut 50,803, 53,586
Pennsylvania 52,517, 45,515
Ohio 45,151, 46,675
Illinois 44,847. 43 070

Source: United States Bureau of the Census, 2000 and 1990 and Statistics Canada, Census of
2001 and 1991

Although the numbers of home French language speakers rose in the United States over the period 1990 to 2000 there was a decline in the number of number reporting French and French Canadian ancestry. While this may appear contradictory it is in large part attributable to the fact that many of the French-speakers are not of French descent with the growing Haitian and North African element of the francophone community south of the border. While Louisiana, California and Massachusetts reported the biggest real declines in the numbers of French home speakers, Florida’s French and French Canadian ancestral population remained relatively unchanged over the previous decade while New York actually made gains in the French ancestry population.

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:llVfLtQtXwAJ:www.acs-aec.ca/oldsite/Polls/EvolvingFrench.pdf+French+language+in+Florida&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6

Thanks for posting Visitor. While the Spanish language in the US is experiencing a natural death even in it's stronghold New Mexico because 2nd and generation become monolingual in English it's the opposite of what is happening with the French. Again quality prevailed over quantity because those Spanish speakers in huge QUANTITY disappears within the next generation while that of French prevailed and even withstand stereotypes and other pressures because of QUALITY.

I gathered information why the number of French speakers in Louisiana and other states and provinces experience sharp decline it's because many of them migrated to other states like especially in Hispanic enclaves like California, Texas, and Florida that's why during the survey in Louisiana they were not able to answer the questionnaire because they weren't there but they were somewhere else.

The anti-french hispanic fanatics in this forum concluded that French declined so sudden within a span of ten years. Probably they thought that those French speakers in Louisiana disappeared because of language switching. Why don't they ask themselves if they would switch from Spanish to English or forget it in that short period. It's impossible to say that the decline is due to mortality either. If they're logical enough, would they think that most of them who belong to all age groups died in a span of 10 years? Unless there is a plague or due to genocide.

What they don't know is younger generation Cajuns no longer speak Cajun French as their mother tongue. But thanks to CODOFIL's French Immersion Program they now speak Standard French even just as secondary language and stated that they would pass on to their children.

Some of them could not speak to their grandparents who are monolingual in Cajun French, went to Canada, Belgium, or Switzerland and spend there for at least a few months and when they returned they could already communicate their mémère and pépère using their newly acquired French language.

Me acabo de comprar una minifalda monísima en las rebajas.

By the size of your posts I can tell you don't go outside much. There is more to life than antimoon. Anyway, I find it very amusing that Visitor has nerve to suggest that French is somehow "soaring" in the US. Ha! This hilarious assumption could only come from French arrogance.

Regardless of those numbers you posted, French has been, still is, and will always be a very small minority in the US. Even if French speaking immigrants come to the US, do you think they won't learn English (if they haven't already)? This is the US and ALL immigrants and/or their children need to learn English at some point if they want to fully funtion in this country.

So your claims are pointless...as always.

<< By the size of your posts I can tell you don't go outside much. There is more to life than antimoon. Anyway, I find it very amusing that Visitor has nerve to suggest that French is somehow "soaring" in the US. Ha! This hilarious assumption could only come from French arrogance.

Regardless of those numbers you posted, French has been, still is, and will always be a very small minority in the US. Even if French speaking immigrants come to the US, do you think they won't learn English (if they haven't already)? This is the US and ALL immigrants and/or their children need to learn English at some point if they want to fully funtion in this country.

So your claims are pointless...as always. >>

This is not assumption, this fact and done with study not based on assumptions as what Instituto Cervantes and hispanic blogs claim that you presented. Hispanic are champions when it comes to lying and turning bad into good and vice-versa.

Yes, they learn English because after all US is an English speaking countries no problem about that. Now I know the reason why you feel threatened it's because you thought that French will be imposed to the Americans and if that's so you feel envy for the Spanish language which is on it's way to natural death even in New Mexico.

The point here is French even if it just 2 million as compared to so called 30 million hispanics is alive and kicking and will remain unlike Spanish that just disappear when the next generation arrives.

<< Me acabo de comprar una minifalda monísima en las rebajas. >>

Arrêt de faire le baboune!

<< << Me acabo de comprar una minifalda monísima en las rebajas. >>

Que t'a besoin pour magasiner est un catin pour une jeune-fille de quatre ans comme toi.

Coleta +Vas-y = magasiner + baboune

<< Coleta +Vas-y = magasiner + baboune >>

Vas à la jungle et manges des bananes, baboune! Tu sais pas comment magasiner.

In English please, I don't understand inferior languages like French.

I live in Florida and speak French most of the time. I don't need to speak English. Vive la difference!

<< In English please, I don't understand inferior languages like French. >>

Pourquoi devrais-je quand je sais que tu parles français?

A partir de maintenant, je voudrais te parler en français

Madagascar adopts English as official language.

The recent referendum in Madagascar to approve several constitutional changes has been approved with a 75% majority. The referendum was called to approve a number of changes to constitution put forward by President Marc Ravalomanana including making English an official language, abolishing Madagascar's six provinces and allowing the President to amend laws in a state of emergency without parliamentary approval.

The opposition parties had campaigned vociferously against the changes that increased the Presidents powers claiming it was leading Madagascar down the path of dictatorship. The Presidents supporters however claimed the changes were necessary to speed up progress in the country through decentralisation of the administration as well as transferring responsibilities to local offices and bringing governance closer to the people.

In defending the adoption of English, officials cite Madagascar's changing external economic relationships as the justification for this, in particular having joined the South African Development Community (SADC) which is overwhelmingly English speaking. Officials also believe the promotion of English will aid direct foreign investment from countries such as the United States, UK, Canada, South Africa and India.

Madagascar adopts English
10/04/2007 07:53 - (SA)

Only one English-language school

To boost the use of English, Madagascar's education ministry recently began publishing a bi-monthly English-language newspaper that is distributed to schools.

"THIS IS TO PROMOTE ENGLISH, NOT TO REPLACE FRENCH. It is to open up to the world," said Vohangy Lalao Ratsimba-Razafimahefa, an education co-ordinator.

But with only one English-language school in the country, Madagascar has a long road ahead of it before fluency in the language becomes widespread.

- AFP

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,9294,2-11-1447_2096052,00.html

What about deleting this thread? Where are the moderators?? Are they sleeping??