The Language of New Orleans
Many a time the city where you were born and raised is often revealed by what you say or how you say it. Accents and key phrases are common and centralized to certain regions of the world. For example, in the U.S. the word “y’all” is primarily used by southern residents where as north easterners would say “you guys”. People from the south are said to posses a certain southern twang. However, when considering the state of Louisiana, it would be wrong to say everyone from Louisiana sounds the same. Those living in Northern Louisiana will tell you there is a very unique language in south Louisiana: it’s the New Orleanians that have a language all to themselves: the Creole language.
Creole language comes from the combination of Spanish and Portuguese cultures that settled in the area of New Orleans with a French influence. More specifically, the term creole comes from the spanish word criollo and Portuguese word crioulo both versions of the verb criar which means to raise or breed. Therefore Creole language developed as a whole as the French, Spanish descendants mixed their culture with Caribbean slaves and natives.
What once started as a generic language of the creole people has now developed into specific variation in different areas within New Orleans. Between the cities, it's all about the inflection of vowels. Different variations of "you", "ya" or simply "y" create entirely different sounds in the same creole language. One common pronunciation point, is that in Creole speech of New Orleans, locals will not pronounce the "er" or "ing" of words. "Er" becomes "uh" or "a" i.e. 'trailer' would be read "trailuh" or "traila". Similarly, words ending in "ing" are pronounced without the "g" i.e. 'going' would be said 'goin'. Finally, an important part of New Orleans speech is that New Orleanians tend to put stress on the beginning of a word or phrase.
New Orleanians have embraced their unique language and accent and are proud of this aspect of their heritage. They appreciate pronouncing Tchoupitoulas as Chop a two' les. They don’t buy groceries, they make them. It is easy for them to differentiate between locals and tourists because it is such a culturally learned language.
Here are some popular creole terms/phrases:
Krewe: Legend has it that the word "Krewe" came from the old English spelling for the word "crew." A Krewe is an organization or club that parades at Mardi Gras.
Lagniappe - "Lan Yap": This is what New Orleans call something you get for free. For example, if you go to the butcher and he gives you a bone for your dog, it's called lagniappe.
Roux - "Rew": A roux is the base for many popular New Orleans dishes. It is made from flour and oil.
Cafe au Lait - "Ca Fay - Oh - Lay": This is New Orleans traditional coffee. Cafe au Lait is made from coffee and chickory mixed with boiled milk. Cafe au Lait is certain to give you a start for the new
Banquette - "Ban Ket": In New Orleans, this means, simply, a sidewalk.
Source for terms: http://www.crescentcity.com/dictionary.htm
To learn how to speak Creole check out this video:
Gucci Mane raps about the 9th ward and the unique New Orleans Accent:
All the places in Louisiana have different accents. You can actually tell when a person is from northern Louisiana from southern Louisiana. I really don't pay attention to it unless someone has a really strong accent.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that we cut a lot of words short and slur them together. In fact, I knew a voice teacher from California who said the southern kids' "twang" would get be even more pronounced when singing in comparison to kids she taught back home. The videos were a fun addition, thanks!
ReplyDeleteUsually I don't notice a New Orleans accent unless it's strong. That's interesting where the word "creole" came from. Almost like it's a language that has been "raised" or "bred"
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that there was such a strong Portuguese influence on Creole language. I always thought it was primarily derived from the French language. It's interesting how diverse the creole language is within itself. It's a beautiful language, and really illustrates the diversity and uniqueness of the creole culture as well.
ReplyDeleteWell,the Spanish did rule southern Louisiana,and New Orleans from 1763 to 1800.And Portuguese is very,very close to the Spanish language,just as Dutch is very,very close to the German language,my friend.In fact,one of the Spanish governors of Louisiana may have been born in Portugal,I believe.Anyway,best wishes,merci beaucoup,mon cher ami,and God bless you.
DeleteOne thing I've noticed about lagnuage, accents and the different slang used from region to region is how pronounced it becomes when speaking to others from the same region. For example, when entering the Orleans Rooms, the servers tend to accentuate their words more when speaking to the students, yet when they talk amongst themselves their accents become more pronounced and slur their words together, with very little gaps in between words and little emphasis on the beginning of each word. They also tend to use slang more often and local words. This is also true of a friend of mine from the Bahamas. When speaking to her relatives it seems as if she is speaking a different language as it is almost impossible to differentiate her words, but as soon as she returns to a conversation with friends her accent changes immediately. It amazes me how quickly people can jump between the two versions of the language without any effort or notice of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved to New Orleans, I was amazed at the way the people talked, but over time I've grown used to it, and I've also adopted a few of their words and phrases. During Katrina, I visited a part of norther Louisiana that thought people in New Orleans talked country and made fun of their accents, even though they were the one with the country accent. Even my family in Florida makes fun of me sometimes at the words I'm now using since moving down here.
ReplyDeleteReally breaking down accents and figuring out exactly what makes up the different pronunciations is really interesting to me. I would be curious to break down the Cajun accent and compare it to the creole one to see differences and similarities. I too, thought it was mostly influenced by French. Since being here, I've heard all of those phrases except Banquette.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard a lot of Creole language since I have been in New Orleans, but I have heard a lot of Cajun lingo. To my surprise, the two seem somewhat similar to my untrained ear. It probably has to do with how they both have French influence. Either way, the more I hear these phrases the more I have become interested in learning the french language.
ReplyDelete@Andy - Cajun isn't exactly an "accent". Cajun French evolved in Louisiana separate from Standard French in France when the groups of people became separated. You can think of the differences between British and American English. It's that kind of thing. The differences do exist in pronunciation but also in slight changes in vocabulary. Cajun French is closer to French's "true" roots with less words that are removed from the original Latin.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard someone speak Creole, I was in a bathroom in the French Quarter and a woman was handing out paper towels and selling like perfume and cigarettes. I was really confused because I asked her a question and when she tried to answer, she was speaking Creole and I had never heard anything like it before. I
ReplyDeleteAll of these phrases are very familiar to me. Especially Banquette. There were certain things that I didn't even realize were special. When we watched the video on language in class a few weeks ago, one of the things they mentioned was the term "go by my momma". My mother says that ALL the time.
ReplyDeleteThe Southern accent in general was something hard for me to get used to. I think that the New Orleans accent is easier to understand than the real southern twang. A word that I have learned from being down here is beaucoup, which means an abundance. When I first heard that word I did not know what to make of it. I think that when places have their own words and sayings it's really interesting and makes that place so unique and memorable.
ReplyDeleteComing from California I had a lot of preconceptions of what a "southern" accent sounded like. Now that I am in New Orleans hearing natives speak, what I thought was southern accent isn't New Orleans at all. I hear the more souther "twang" when I speak to people from smaller towns in Louisiana, when I hear that I am truly reminded that I am in the South.
ReplyDeleteI love the Creole/New Orleans accent!! My family is from New Orleans originally so everyone I talk to sounds like many of the native New Orleanians here. It's sometimes pretty difficult to understand what some people are saying, but when I grew up I was used to acting like I understand what the person was saying. Also I have some family members that speak Creole, like my older sister speaks it fluently.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got to class I found out that there was a Creole language. I asked my mom about it and she started telling me stories. She never really mentioned it before because we did not carry the language on. Her grandparents were the last to speak it. She still remembers them talking in Creole so that she would not know what they were saying.
ReplyDelete