Code Bleu! The French language and culture of our area is dying. Nicholls State University is teaming up with Les Amis du francais de Lafourche and the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana to create a program to preserve and promote the French language and culture in our area.

A steering committee met recently to discuss ways to preserve French language and culture.

Nicholls State officials Dr. Alice Pecoraro, Dr. David Boudreaux, Dr. Tom Mortillaro and Dr. Anita Tully met with Les Amis representatives to lay the groundwork for the program.

“What we are doing at this time is laying the foundation for some type of organizational structure that will sponsor these programs and activities,” Pecoraro said.

The committee plans to provide classes and activities to preserve French language in southern Louisiana.

“There would be an emphasis placed on Cajun French and the preservation of the Cajun French language.

“Other programs would include French immersion classes that would be offered and through continuing education,” Pecoraro said.

The immersion program would consist of classes in conversational French.

Participants would be required to speak the language for the whole day, the entire time they are in the program.

Les Amis representative Dale Doucet, who is one of the organizers of the program, enrolled in an immersion program last summer at Ste. Anne university in Canada because of his interest in preserving the Cajun French language.

“He saw firsthand what a university can do to preserve a language and that is why he has joined with Mrs. [Melanie] Boulet, [Les Amis representative], to work with us to get this effort organized,” Pecoraro said.

The committee also discussed the possibility of having a director involved with the French degree program at Nicholls.

“This person would assist in teaching classes but would also be responsible for the continuing education program,” Pecoraro said.

Plans for children’s classes were also discussed.

“We believe an important part of preserving the language is to encourage more children to learn the language.

“I anticipate having summer programs for children in the language also,” Pecoraro said.

Programs for archiving oral histories told by French speakers were proposed.

“We could involve some of our foreign language majors to have them conduct some of these oral interviews,” Pecoraro said.

“We believe that part of Nicholls’ mission is to support the region around us.

“Certainly, Cajun French language and culture are very important to this region and part of our heritage.

“If we don’t contribute to the preservation of the culture, then the culture may be lost,” Pecoraro said.