re: Cajuns are keen to preserve their identity.

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An Alabama barner here, but just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed this thread. I had no idea of the history of being shunned for speaking French in Louisiana back in the day. Very interesting.

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Cajun French is still spoken in some parts of La., mostly rural areas. I never hear it anymore in the New Orleans area, and haven't for many years now.

As the older folks in my family died, so did the language, and me closing in on 71, there's not but a handful of relatives older than me still alive.

About 10 years ago I had a friend who was dealing with cancer and I went to visit him in the hospital in Houma, La., about 50 or so miles outside New Orleans.

My friends wife wanted to smoke a cigarette and we walked out to a common area outside the hospital and I heard several groups of people speaking Cajun French and it brought back so many memories. It was good to hear the language was still alive in some areas.