Pronunciation: [t͡ʃˈɛnɪə] (IPA) 
The word "chenier" is a French term for a strip of trees and shrubs in a wetland or swamp. The Spelling of "chenier" can be difficult for non-native French speakers since it has a few silent letters. The word is pronounced ʃənɪə(r) in IPA phonetic transcription. The first two letters "ch" is a voiceless postalveolar affricate sound, followed by a schwa vowel sound. The "-en" part sounds like "uhn," and the final sound "ier" as "eer."
A chenier refers to a narrow, elongated ridge or an isolated, raised area of land found in a coastal marsh or deltaic plain. Typically parallel to the coastline, cheniers are composed of compacted sediments, such as sand, silt, and clay, that have been transported by river currents and deposited over time.
These landforms form through a combination of natural processes, including the accumulation of sediment carried by rivers and tides, and the action of vegetation growth and decay. The presence of cheniers can significantly influence the hydrology and ecology of the surrounding areas, as they often create a barrier, preventing the flow of water and affecting drainage patterns.
Cheniers may vary in width and height, with some reaching several meters in height and spanning tens to even hundreds of meters in width. Often vegetated with a specific type of plant community, such as oak trees, these ridges provide critical habitats for various plant and animal species, functioning as natural corridors for migrations and offering protection against flooding and storm surges.
Due to their diverse ecological functions and vulnerability to human activities and coastal erosion, cheniers hold ecological and conservation significance. In many areas, efforts are being made to protect and restore these unique landforms and their associated habitats to maintain the delicate balance of the coastal ecosystems they support.
The word "chenier" is derived from the French language. Its etymology can be traced back to the Old French word "chêne", which means "oak tree". "Chêner", the verb form of "chêne", refers to the action of planting or growing oak trees. Over time, the word "chêner" evolved into "chenier", which came to denote a specific type of forested ridge or narrow ridge of elevated land that is typically covered with oak trees or stands of deciduous trees in French-speaking regions. The term "chenier" has been adopted into English to describe similar landforms, particularly those found in the Southern United States.
