Chiac language

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The word chiac has two meanings, both of which refer to particular vocabulary, accent, sentence structures and idioms spoken by Acadian French inhabitants of south-east New Brunswick, Canada.

The word itself is generally considered a derivation of the name "Shediac," a town in the area. Some have also suggested that it is a derivative of the French word chier, meaning "to shit".

In its first meaning, Chiac is a spoken French often tinged with nautical terms (e.g. haler, embarquer), reflecting the historic importance of the sea to the local economy, as well as older French words (e.g., bailler, quérir, hucher, gosier), many deemed archaic by the Académie Française, testimony to three centuries of relative isolation of Acadian communities from French influence. The collected works of Goncourt Prize-winner Antonine Maillet, and her play La Sagouine in particular, illustrate well this variation of French.

In its second meaning, "Chiac" has come to refer to a vernacular French mixed with English, spoken as a dominant language in the Acadian community, especially among youth, near Moncton, Memramcook and Shediac. Usually referred to as "Franglais" (Français et anglais) by linguists, the word "chiac" has stuck to this mixture of the two main languages spoken in the area.

It is a relatively more recent evolution of the French language, spurred by exposure to dominant English language media (radio, television, internet) and increased urbanization to Moncton and contact with the dominant Anglophone community in the area since the 1960s especially.

Chiac is a mixture of Acadian French (which includes words from Old French) and English. Chiac uses primarily French syntax with French-English vocabulary and phrase forms (see Examples, below). It is often deprecated by both French and English speakers as an impure hybrid — either "bad" French or "bad" English. However, Chiac has been reclaimed in recent years by some Acadian groups as a living and evolving language, and part of their collective culture. A number of Acadian artists write literature and music in Chiac.

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Examples

Ej vas driver mon truck à soir pis ça va êt'e right la fun. (I'm going to drive my truck tonight and it's going to be lots of fun.)
J'vas parker mon châr. (I'm going to park my car.)
J'schwimmais dans l'ocean et j'tais right soak-an-wet. (I swam in the ocean and got soaking wet.)
Worry pas. (Don't worry)

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