Missouri French
| Missouri French | |
|---|---|
| Paw Paw French | |
| français du Missouri | |
The flag of the French colony of Upper Louisiana. | |
| Native to | Missouri, Illinois, Indiana |
| Region | French settlements along Mississippi River of Upper Louisiana |
Native speakers | Unknown; fewer than a dozen (2015) |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| IETF | fr-u-sd-usmo |
Counties where Missouri French is or was formerly spoken. | |
Missouri French (French: français du Missouri) or Illinois Country French (French: français du Pays des Illinois) also known as français vincennois, français Cahok, and nicknamed "Paw-Paw French" often by individuals outside the community but not exclusively, is a variety of the French language spoken in the upper Mississippi River Valley in the Midwestern United States, particularly in eastern Missouri.
The language is one of the major varieties of French that developed in the United States. At one point it was widely spoken in areas of Bonne Terre, Valles Mines, Desloge, De Soto, Ste. Genevieve, Old Mines, Cadet, St. Louis, Richwoods, Prairie du Rocher, Cahokia, Kaskaskia, and Vincennes as well as several other locations. Speakers of Missouri French may call themselves "créoles", as they are descendants of colonial Louisiana French people of the Illinois Country (Upper Louisiana) and their native-born descendants.
Today the dialect is highly endangered, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining. It is thought that remaining speakers live in or around Old Mines, Missouri.