# Chiac > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chiac > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chiac.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiac > Source revision: 1343168242 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Acadian French variety of southeast New Brunswick, Canada}} {{distinguish|Franglais|Acadian French}} {{Expand French|Chiac|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox language | name = Chiac | nativename = | states = [Canada](/source/Canada) | region = [Acadian](/source/Acadian)s in southeastern New-Brunswick | speakers = | familycolor = Indo-European | fam2 = [Italic](/source/Italic_languages) | fam3 = [Latino-Faliscan](/source/Latino-Faliscan_languages) | fam4 = [Romance](/source/Romance_languages) | fam5 = [Italo-Western](/source/Italo-Western_languages) | fam6 = [Western Romance](/source/Western_Romance_languages) | fam7 = [Gallo-Romance](/source/Gallo-Romance_languages) | fam8 = [Oïl](/source/Langues_d'o%C3%AFl) | fam9 = [French](/source/French_language) | fam10 = [Canadian French](/source/Canadian_French) | fam11 = [Acadian French](/source/Acadian_French) | isoexception = | lingua = | glotto = none }} [[File:WIKITONGUES- Jacques and Yvette speaking Chiac.webm|thumb|An immigrant couple living in [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts), [United States](/source/United_States), speaking a version of Chiac.]] '''Chiac''' (or ''Chiak'', ''Chi’aq'') is a [patois](/source/patois) of [Acadian French](/source/Acadian_French) spoken mostly in southeastern [New Brunswick](/source/New_Brunswick), [Canada](/source/Canada).{{Cite web|title=Chiac {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chiac|access-date=2021-06-15|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}} Chiac is frequently characterized and distinguished from other forms of Acadian French by its borrowings from [English](/source/English_language) and is thus often mistakenly considered a form of [Franglais](/source/Franglais). The word "Chiac" can also sometimes be used to refer to ethnic [Acadians](/source/Acadians) of rural southeastern New Brunswick, who are not considered [French Canadian](/source/French_Canadian) historically and ethnically because of their separate and distinctive history. They are considered ethnically as "Chiac-Acadian" or simply "Chiac". ==Characteristics== As a major modern variety of Acadian-French, Chiac shares most phonological particularities of the dialect. However, Chiac contains far more English [loanwords](/source/loanwords) compared to other Canadian French dialects. Many of its words also have roots in the [Eastern Algonquian](/source/Eastern_Algonquian) languages, most notably [Mi'kmaq](/source/Mi'kmaq_language). Loanwords generally follow French conjugation patterns; "Ej j'va aller watcher un movie" uses the English-derived loanword "watch" as if it were an "-er" verb. The most common loans are basic lexical features (nouns, adjectives, verb stems), but a few conjunctions and adverbs are borrowed from English ("but, so, anyway"). ==History== Chiac originated in the community of specific ethnic Acadians, known as "Chiacs, Chiaks or Chi'aq",{{Cite book |last1=Dorion |first1=Leah |url=https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/07159.Resources%20for%20Metis%20Researchers.pdf |title=Resources for Métis Researchers |last2=Préfontaine |first2=Darren R. |last3=Barkwell |first3=Lawrence J. |publisher=Gabriel Dumont Institute and The Louis Riel Institute |year=1999 |pages=14 |chapter=VI: Métis Culture and Language |quote=Chiac, the little-known mixed Algonquian-Acadian French language of the Metis people in Maritime Canada bears a remarkable similarity in syntax to Michif}} living on the southeast coast of New Brunswick, specifically near the [Shediac Bay](/source/Shediac_Bay) area. While some{{who|date=July 2025}} believe that Chiac dates back as far as the 17th or the 18th centuries, others{{who|date=July 2025}} believe it developed in the 20th century, in reaction to the dominance of English-language media in Canada, the lack of French-language primary and secondary education, the increased urbanization of Moncton, and contact with the dominant [Anglophone community](/source/English_Canadian) in the area.{{fact|date=July 2025}} The origin of the word "Chiac" is not known; some speculate that it is an alteration of "[Shediac](/source/Shediac)" or "Es-ed-ei-ik". ==Geographic distribution== Chiac is mostly spoken by native speakers of [Acadian French](/source/Acadian_French) in the southeastern region of New Brunswick. Its speakers are primarily located in the [Westmorland County](/source/Westmorland_County%2C_New_Brunswick) of southeastern New Brunswick and further north along the coast in adjacent [Kent County](/source/Kent_County%2C_New_Brunswick). Further north along the coast, [Acadian French](/source/Acadian_French) resembling [Quebec French](/source/Quebec_French) is more common as the border with [Quebec](/source/Quebec) is approached. To the immediate east, west, and south, fully bilingual speakers of French and English are found, and the regions beyond typically have unilingual Anglophones. ==In culture== Acadian writers, poets, and musicians such as [Lisa LeBlanc](/source/Lisa_LeBlanc), [Radio Radio](/source/Radio_Radio_(band)),{{Citation |title=Radio Radio: Comment ça va? | date=21 January 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG06IuRS6q4 |language=en |access-date=2022-03-17}} [Fayo](/source/Fayo),{{cite web |last=Laberge |first=Corinne |title=Le monde de Fayo |date=2007-06-28 |url=http://www.citesnouvelles.com/article-125172-Le-monde-de-Fayo.html |access-date=2007-08-09}} [Cayouche](/source/Cayouche), [Les Hay Babies](/source/Les_Hay_Babies), [1755](/source/1755_(band)), [Antonine Maillet](/source/Antonine_Maillet){{cite web |last1=Morrow |first1=Martin |title=Acadian actor Viola Léger embodied the iconic character La Sagouine |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-acadian-actor-viola-leger-embodied-the-iconic-character-la-sagouine/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=17 January 2024 |date=18 February 2023 |quote=La Sagouine’s use of chiac, the type of Acadian French native to rural New Brunswick.}} and many others have produced works in Chiac. Chiac is also featured in [Acadieman](/source/Acadieman), a comedy about "The world's first Acadian Superhero" by Dano Leblanc.{{cite episode |title=[C'est la vie](/source/C'est_la_vie_(radio)) |airdate=2006-12-08|series=C'est la vie}} == References == {{Reflist}} == Further reading == * King, Ruth. "Overview and Evaluation of Acadie's joual," in '' Social Lives in Language – Sociolinguistics and multilingual speech communities: Celebrating the Work of Gillian Sankoff'' edited by Miriam Meyerhoff and Naomi Nagy (2008) pp 137ff * ''Chiac: an example of dialect change and language transfer in Acadian French.'' National Library of Canada, 1987. == See also == *[Acadian Exodus](/source/Acadian_Exodus) *[Acadian French](/source/Acadian_French) *[Caló (Chicano)](/source/Cal%C3%B3_(Chicano)) *[Cultural assimilation](/source/Cultural_assimilation) *[French language](/source/French_language) *[Haitian Creole](/source/Haitian_Creole) *[Louisiana Creole people](/source/Louisiana_Creole_people) *[Louisiana Creole](/source/Louisiana_Creole) *[Michif](/source/Michif) *[Pidgin](/source/Pidgin) *[Shediac](/source/Shediac) == External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100608232155/http://linggraduate.unm.edu/proceedings/HDLS%204%20Proceedings%202001.pdf The Chiac verb particle construction] – A linguistics paper (beginning on page 56 of the pdf document) examining certain features of Chiac grammar. * [https://sangmele.net/home/2016/2/10/cofeetable Sang Mêlé] {{French dialects by continent}} {{Gallo-Romance languages and dialects}} {{Acadia}} Category:French language Category:Acadian French Category:Canadian French Category:Acadian culture Category:Acadia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chiac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiac) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiac?action=history)). 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