Cajuns (pronounced /ˈkeɪdʒən/; French: les Cadiens or les Acadiens) are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles (French-speaking settlers from the maritime provinces of what is now Canada). Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population, and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.
The word "Cajun" comes from the English speaking deformation of the...
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Cajuns (pronounced /ˈkeɪdʒən/; French: les Cadiens or les Acadiens) are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles (French-speaking settlers from the maritime provinces of what is now Canada). Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population, and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.
The word "Cajun" comes from the English speaking deformation of the French word Acadien (in French, the masculine Acadien, the feminine Acadienne) which is "A-Cad-jin" or "Cajin" which then became "Cajun", combining aphesis (dropping of the leading letter) with slurring the final syllable (as with the American pejorative "Injun" for "Indian").
Acadia (in the French language Acadie) was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia...
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