The Silence of the Gators: Cajun Ethnicity and Intergenerational Transmission of Louisiana French.

This study considers the relationship between Cajun ethnicity and the intergenerational transmission of the French language. The commonsensical assumption of a positive relationship between ethnic identity and language transmission is questioned. It is suggested that if an ethnicity is associated with socioeconomic disadvantages, then the greater the ethnic identification of parents, the more disadvantageous for them ethnic traits will be. (Author/JL)