Wisconsin Walloon

Last updated
Wisconsin Walloon
Native to Wisconsin, United States
Region Door Peninsula
Native speakers
<50 (2021) [1]
Early forms
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog None
Lyrics to the song Tins d' eraler / Tehng de raalie "Time to go home" written from memory by a Walloon speaker in Wisconsin Tchanson longues pupes tere Walons Wisconsene.jpg
Lyrics to the song Tins d' eraler / Tehng de raalie "Time to go home" written from memory by a Walloon speaker in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Walloon is a dialect of the Walloon language brought to Wisconsin by immigrants from Wallonia, the largely French-speaking region of Belgium. It is spoken in the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin, United States. [1]

The speakers of Wisconsin Walloon are descendants of the Belgian immigrants that came from the wave of immigration lasting from 1853–1857 that was recorded to have brought around 2,000 Belgians to Wisconsin. [3] It is sometimes referred to by its speakers in English as "Belgian". [4] Walloons in Wisconsin and descendants of native Walloon speakers have since switched to English, and as of 2021, it has fewer than 50 speakers. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgium</span> Country in Northwestern Europe

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. It covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.7 million. With 383/km2 (990/sq mi), Belgium's population density ranks 22nd in the world and 6th in Europe. Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest metropolitan region is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Cambodia</span>

Demographic features of the population of Cambodia include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It was first issued in 1951, and is now published by SIL International, an American evangelical Christian non-profit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walloons</span> French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia

Walloons are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic, with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of the United States</span>

The United States does not have an official language at the federal level, but the most commonly used language is English, which is the de facto national language. In addition, 32 U.S. states out of 50 and all five U.S. territories have declared English as an official language. The majority of the U.S. population (78%) speaks only English at home as of 2023. The remainder of the population speaks many other languages at home, most notably Spanish, according to the American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau; others include indigenous languages originally spoken by Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and native populations in the U.S. unincorporated territories. Other languages were brought in by people from Europe, Africa, Asia, other parts of the Americas, and Oceania, including multiple dialects, creole languages, pidgin languages, and sign languages originating in what is now the United States. Interlingua, an international auxiliary language, was also created in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Door County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallonia</span> Southernmost federal region of Belgium

Wallonia, officially the Walloon Region, is one of the three regions of Belgium—along with Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the country, Wallonia is primarily French-speaking. It accounts for 55% of Belgium's territory, but only a third of its population. The Walloon Region and the French Community of Belgium, which is the political entity responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, are independent concepts, because the French Community of Belgium encompasses both Wallonia and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region but not the German-speaking Community of Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels, Wisconsin</span> Town in Wisconsin, United States

Brussels is a town in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Brussels, Misere, and Kolberg are located in the town. The unincorporated community of Rosiere is also located partially in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Min</span> Branch of the Min Chinese languages

Southern Min, Minnan or Banlam, is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian, most of Taiwan, Eastern Guangdong, Hainan, and Southern Zhejiang. Southern Min dialects are also spoken by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora, most notably in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Southern and Central Vietnam, as well as major cities in the United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. Minnan is the most widely-spoken branch of Min, with approximately 50.6 million speakers as of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walloon language</span> Gallo-Romance language of Wallonia, Belgium

Walloon is a Romance language that is spoken in much of Wallonia and, to a very small extent, in Brussels, Belgium; some villages near Givet, northern France; and a clutch of communities in northeastern Wisconsin, United States.

<i>Langues doïl</i> Dialects including French and its close relatives

The langues d'oïl are a dialect continuum that includes standard French and its closest autochthonous relatives historically spoken in the northern half of France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands. They belong to the larger category of Gallo-Romance languages, which also include the historical languages of east-central France and western Switzerland, southern France, portions of northern Italy, the Val d'Aran in Spain, and under certain acceptations those of Catalonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman language</span> Romance language of Northwest France

Norman or Norman French is a langue d'oïl. The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to describe the administrative languages of Anglo-Norman and Law French used in England. For the most part, the written forms of Norman and modern French are mutually intelligible. The thirteenth-century philosopher Roger Bacon was the first to distinguish it along with other dialects such as Picard and Bourguignon. Today, although it does not enjoy any official status, some reports of the French Ministry of Culture have recognized it as one of the regional languages of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemish Community</span> Institutional community of Belgium

The Flemish Community is one of the three institutional communities of Belgium, established by the Belgian constitution and having legal responsibilities only within the precise geographical boundaries of the Dutch-language area and of the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital. Unlike in the French Community of Belgium, the competences of the Flemish Community have been unified with those of the Flemish Region and are exercised by one directly elected Flemish Parliament based in Brussels.

This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the Germanosphere in Europe, German-speaking minorities are present in many other countries and on all six inhabited continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgians</span> Citizens or residents of Belgium

Belgians are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural rather than ethnic. The majority of Belgians, however, belong to two distinct linguistic groups or communities native to the country, i.e. its historical regions: Flemings in Flanders, who speak Dutch, West Flemish and Limburgish; and Walloons in Wallonia, who speak French or Walloon. There is also a substantial Belgian diaspora, which has settled primarily in the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.

Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants arrived during the 19th and the 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Belgium</span>

The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemish people</span> Ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium

Flemish people or Flemings are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Flemish Dutch. Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians, at about 60%.

Walloons are an ethnic group originating from the Wallonia region of Belgium. Mainly arriving between the years 1853 and 1858, and settling in parts of Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties, Wisconsin is unique for being home to one of the few Walloon ethnic enclaves worldwide, and being home to a special dialect of Walloon called Wisconsin Walloon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Biers & Osterhaus 2021, p. 1.
  2. 1 2 Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2022-05-24). "Glottolog 4.8 - Oil". Glottolog . Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  3. Tinkler, Jacqueline. "THE WALLOON IMMIGRANTS OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN: AN EXAMINATION OF ETHNIC RETENTION" (PDF). University of Texas Arlington Libraries Research Commons. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. Biers & Osterhaus 2021, p. 2.

Bibliography