Walloon is a language still spoken by a minority population in its home country of Belgium. It can also still be found among a few sparse communities descended from Belgian immigrants in northeastern Wisconsin. Although spoken by a small number of people, the language plays a vital role in the ethnic heritage of the state and is audible in local words like “booyah” and “trippe.”

This book is the first to introduce the language without recourse to French, of which Walloon is sometimes mistakenly described as a variant or dialect. With this text, English-language speakers will need nothing more than interest to pick up basic conversational Walloon, thanks to Kelly Biers’s clear guidance for pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Additionally, readers will learn about how this minority language arrived in the Upper Midwest, the history of Belgian American immigration and settlement, and the language’s linguistic features.

Boojoo and welcome to Wisconsin Walloon!

Kelly Biers is an associate professor of French at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

List of Maps
Preface
Introduction
1. Spelling and Pronunciation
2. Vocabulary
3. Grammar
4. Sample Texts and Cultural Artifacts
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Belgian Spelling Systems
Notes
References
Index