Особенности функционирования французского языка в штате США Луизиана

Abstract

The research aims to determine the functioning of the French language in various spheres of communication in Louisiana, which implies providing a description of the linguistic situation of this region developed both during the settlement of the territory of the state and at the present stage. The study of the once French-speaking state of the USA is of great interest to sociolinguists due to the functioning of different languages both in the spheres of communication regulated by the government and in non-business communication. The analysis of the linguistic situation in Louisiana at the present stage is preceded in the paper by a brief digression into the history of colonisation of this territory, which allows the researcher to identify historical factors that have determined the complexity of the current ethnic composition of the multinational state. Scientific novelty of the research lies in using historical data, federal and state language legislation and language policy, as a result of which, it was possible to identify the features of the French language use in the former French colony that became a US state, as well as to determine the possibilities of preserving the mother tongue of the native-born Louisianans.