Professor Erin Segura, a passionate advocate for the preservation of Louisiana French, has become a leader in efforts to revitalize the unique dialect at LSU.
With deep roots in the cultural fabric of Louisiana, Segura’s work focuses on both preserving and promoting the use of Louisiana French through her academic research, community engagement and innovative teaching methods.
“I get most of my inspiration from my students and in a variety of different ways,” Segura said. “There are the students who are heritage speakers, meaning that they have a familial connection to the language and are reclaiming it.”
Following a ban on teaching French in public schools in 1921, many Louisiana French speakers were unable to pass on the state’s unique dialect to younger generations. When these students became adults, whether out of fear of marginalization or shame, they taught their children little to no Louisiana French.
To combat the major loss of Louisiana French speakers due to this “lost generation,” French immersion schools, documentaries and podcasts throughout the state have made great efforts to vitalize this dialect, though challenges remain for the language.
“Misinformation and astigmatism towards Louisiana French is a major challenge,” Segura said.
As a final in one of Segura’s courses students must find and interview Louisiana French native speakers. However, as the years pass, it has been harder for students to find native speakers to interview. Segura’s commitment to teaching Louisiana French underscores the importance of language as a key element of cultural identity and the ongoing struggle to keep Louisiana French alive.
Segura explained why she views the maintenance of the dialect as important, quoting her friend Jourdan Thibodeaux who said “languages don’t die . . . they’re killed by choice.”
“I think it’s time for people to take personal responsibility,” Segura said. “When someone says to me, ‘Why bother learning Louisiana French if it’s a dying language?’ My response is always, ‘If it’s dying, it’s because you’re not learning it.’”
The future of Louisiana French is in the hands of the younger generations who choose whether or not to speak it. Segura’s courses are one way younger generations are able to learn the language. At LSU, Segura is not only educating the next generation of French speakers, but also fostering a renewed sense of pride and connection to the language within the broader Louisiana community.
Louisiana French and the French spoken in France share a great number of similarities, making it easier for speakers of these languages to communicate. What makes Louisiana French so unique are the accents that are native to Louisiana French speakers. With more than six different accents spread through Louisiana, the French that is spoken in the state is distinct.
“There is a group that I think of as ‘converts’ who are equally inspirational: these are students who’ve grown up with stigmatized notions of Louisiana French, and take the class because they think it will be ‘easier’ because it ‘isn’t real French’ or that it ‘doesn’t use grammar.’ They come to realize that these are misconceptions, and they’re opened up to new ways of thinking,” Segura said.
The vast majority of Cajun and Creole music is sung in Louisiana French, making music a significant part of the preservation of the dialect. Many musicians today learn Louisiana French to communicate with fellow French speakers while performing abroad. Music is a main reason why younger generations are becoming immersed in this language once again.
Segura explained her connection to the dialect began as a personal one.
“My story is similar to most of my peers’ stories. My maternal great-grandparents spoke French. My great-grandfather wanted to go to high school – most kids at that time period only completed a few grades – but he went on to become a doctor. There wasn’t a high school where he lived, so he had to move to New Orleans, and that’s how he learned English,” Segura said.
“As is the case for many of us, my great-grandparents used French as a ‘code’ language in the house,” Segura said. “They only spoke it when they didn’t want their children to understand what they were saying.”
Segura got to speak her heritage language with her great aunt, which formed a special bond between the two. Now, Segura speaks Louisiana French with her in-laws, friends, students, colleagues and online with Francophone friends from around the world that she has met over the years.
“I always find it inspirational when students start to put their first sentences together and get creative and realize that it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to communicate something,” Segura said.
Segura said she has had many rewarding moments with her students through the years of teaching Louisiana French, offering the example of when one of her students spoke to their great grandmother in Louisiana French for the first time ever. Segura strives to create connections through the language, whether it be between students and family members or strangers who share the same dialect.
“I want to be clear that people don’t have to learn it perfectly,” Segura said. “They don’t have to become fully fluent. They just have to put in something of an effort. Learn a little. Speak poorly at first. It’s better than nothing.”