Workshop seeks to preserve Creole French

Workshop seeks to preserve Creole French

Conversations in Creole begins on January 22, 2015

January 4, 2015

By Cheryl Devall

The Daily Advertiser

Mrs. Rebecca Henry, Creole Historian and founder of the Creole Heritage Folklife Center will be offering "Conversation in Creole," an eight week workshop starting January 22, 2015.
(photo credit" Freddie Herpin)

If learning Creole French is one of your resolutions, Rebecca Henry is making a way for you to follow through.

She plans to offer “Conversations in Creole,” an eight-week workshop, starting Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. Registration is open now, and space is limited. Each weekly session will last for one hour.

“A lot of people have asked for this,” said Henry, founder and director of the Creole Heritage Folklife Center in Opelousas. “For many people, it was their first language, or their ancestors’.”

French was a common language in Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries, and it is still the second-most spoken language in the state after English (Vietnamese is third). Many Creole-French speakers trace their origins from West Africa, Haiti and France — all of which contributed to the state’s population and ethnic and cultural mix.

Although English is the main spoken language, many of the names and phrases that surround us are French, from the Parisian bishop who shares his name with St. Landry Parish to the lyrics of popular songs to common terms of affection like “cher” and “bebé.”

Rebecca Henry, the daughter of sharecroppers, grew up speaking Creole French. She is passionate about maintaining its influence among generations to follow.

To that end, she said she plans to keep the classes conversational and fun — “yes, we’re going to have a real good time,” she pledged — to host guest speakers and to invite people of all ages who may be interested.

“Maybe our musicians will learn to understand the words so they can perform,” Henry said. “Or seniors will want to bring back the joy of speaking it.

“It’s a beautiful language,” she said. “It should be preserved, and 2015 is the time.”

Want to go?

The eight-week course will meet Thursdays beginning Jan. 22 at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, 1113 W. Vine St., Opelousas.

The cost is $50 for the entire course or $10 per class if space is available. For more information, call 337-945-5064.

11:00 PM