- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Cajuns are keen to preserve their identity.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 6:46 pm to 777Tiger
Posted on 10/12/23 at 6:46 pm to 777Tiger
quote:
Nawlins is not Cajun
Tell me something I don't already know. That said, I did hear Cajun French often as a kid growing up in N.O. since my family on my mom's side is 100% Cajun and a lot of them were living in N.O. back when I was a kid in the 50's.
Their circle of friends included many people who once lived in Bayou Country and they spoke Cajun French often.
0
Posted on 10/12/23 at 7:11 pm to 777Tiger
quote:
I lived in Lafayette for years, which is the big city of Acadiana, as many or more of my friends and neighbors spoke Cajun French that didn’t, you get out of town and it was a lot more prevalent
I did a lot of fishing while in college with my grandpa and he said that each little town in the cajun parts of south louisiana would add their own dialect to the language. So you could go to each town and they would have their own take on certain words. I thought that was interesting.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 8:32 pm to auwaterfowler
quote:
An Alabama barner here, but just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed this thread. I had no idea of the history of being shunned for speaking French in Louisiana back in the day. Very interesting
My dad told me about the day the man from Baton Rouge to his school and it was the end of speaking French in school. This was around 1953. He grew up in Broussard and said they knew very few people that spoke English. He recalls pulling his buddy aside at recess and asked him "you think we will ever learn the English stuff?"
He did. He always spoken French to his mother and sometimes siblings. He tried to teach me French but I thought it was stupid and had zero interest.
My generation 1965-1975 had tons of exposure and opportunities to learn French. We were stupid.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 8:38 pm to TigerDeacon
quote:
But why?
Posted on 10/12/23 at 8:45 pm to FLObserver
Grandparents and their friends would always shift to Cajun French when they didn’t want me to know what they were talking about. Really wish I would have learned it and not been so hardheaded about learning a different language.
I do remember this one time, I asked my grandmother to help me with my French homework, and I failed….lol. I argued with the teacher over it that she was wrong because my grandmother spoke French, but I just didn’t realize it was such a different language from tradition French.
I do remember this one time, I asked my grandmother to help me with my French homework, and I failed….lol. I argued with the teacher over it that she was wrong because my grandmother spoke French, but I just didn’t realize it was such a different language from tradition French.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 8:54 pm to gumbo2176
If you want to hear it actually spoken every day go to the Pierre Part Store or to Paizanos gas station. You will hear it spoken every day by multiple people in those places.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 9:07 pm to TigerDeacon
quote:
quote:
Cajuns are keen to preserve their identity.
But why?
Because frick you. That’s why.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 9:12 pm to real turf fan
My grandparents generation was the last to be fluent. Being punished and kept from school till they learned English all but killed the language. Both sides of my tree are pure cajun even traced back to the boat my paternal side arrived on. Makes me sad my kids will never hear it spoken at a Sunday dinner with three or more generations present like I did. Remember being scared of my great grandfather since he didn’t speak English
Posted on 10/12/23 at 9:24 pm to GumboPot
quote:quote:
My Bro and i grew up with grandma and grandpa having friends over for coffee and all conversations were in Cajun french. We didnt understand a word they were saying.
Same here. When my grandparent grew up speaking French was frowned upon.
My mother spoke no English when she started school. She was punished if she spoke French in school, having her children speak French was not a priority. My older siblings all spoke French because they spent the early part of their lives living with grandparents who spoke only French. My mom was widowed in her early twenties and married my father a few years later.
My little sister and I did not grow up in the same situation and we do not really speak French even though everyone in our family who is older than us spoke French. It was something I had no interest in as a young person and really wish I had learned now that I am in my 60s.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 9:37 pm to real turf fan
Not really cajun. But my grandpa always wore a "registered coonass" mesh ball cap.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 9:41 pm to LSUBFA83
quote:
My grandparents spoke Cajun French but didn't teach their children or grandchildren because they used it to talk in front of the kids without any of us knowing what they were saying. It's a little disconcerting to hear your name spoken in the middle of a conversation you have no clue about.
Exactly. My grandparents on one one side and great grandparents on both sides spoke fluent Cajun French in front of us but never bothered passing it down.
What was I supposed to do as a 4 year old besides just sit there and listen to their French jibberish as they drank coffee at 9pm?
Posted on 10/12/23 at 10:13 pm to real turf fan
KVPI is all Cajun French in the morning. If you walk into McDonalds just about any morning you’ll find a group of men’s drinking coffee and speaking exclusively in Cajun French. This is in VP of course.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 10:18 pm to ShermanTxTiger
quote:
My generation 1965-1975 had tons of exposure and opportunities to learn French. We were stupid.
Glad to see several on here taking responsibility for not putting the work in or just being uninterested rather than trying to blame being shunned, etc. My buddy, born in the same time frame says the same. He had plenty of chances to learn it, just never put the effort in.
It's not too late to start learning it today.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 10:30 pm to RedFoxx
A lot of these stories sound like my own. Grandparents never taught their children the Cajun French because it was dirty/ used as a secret language.
My mother was one of 7 children and did not finish high school. A couple of her younger siblings learned proper French and keep the tradition alive in their family.
When it came time for me to choose a language in high school, I was living in TX at the time so naturally I picked Spanish. Broke my grandmother's heart.
I speak and understand very little French.
My mother was one of 7 children and did not finish high school. A couple of her younger siblings learned proper French and keep the tradition alive in their family.
When it came time for me to choose a language in high school, I was living in TX at the time so naturally I picked Spanish. Broke my grandmother's heart.
I speak and understand very little French.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 10:38 pm to real turf fan
I worked with a lady from Lafayette back in the mid 90's and her grandfather had to go in a nursing home so she took his dog. Grandpa told her the dog was very smart, but she couldn't get him to do shite. She went to visit Grandpa and he asked about the dog. She said Grandpa that is the dumbest dog, he won't even come to me. He said Cher, he only speaks french. After that all was well with the dog.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 10:45 pm to BigDropper
quote:There is not a single “proper” French. It’s dialect just like English (faucet in south is a spigget up nawth).
A couple of her younger siblings learned proper French
In some cases the “Cajun” was more grammatically correct.
Posted on 10/12/23 at 11:31 pm to Quatrepot
quote:
There is not a single “proper” French.
This is incorrect. King Louis XIII created the Académie Française (which exists to this day) to regulate and preserve the French language.
Posted on 10/13/23 at 12:03 am to Baers Foot
quote:No, I am correct.
This is incorrect.
There’s one French language. The Cajun dialect is dying though.
I took French classes with Dr Barry Ancelet- very knowledgeable about all this if anyone is interested in reading.
Posted on 10/13/23 at 12:10 am to Quatrepot
Dr. Ancelet's google page
looks to be a rabbit hole that I want to go to. Utubes, papers and interviews.
looks to be a rabbit hole that I want to go to. Utubes, papers and interviews.
Posted on 10/13/23 at 5:05 am to real turf fan
I do understand this is an LSU website but sounds like a lot of us grew up with insert Cajun lastname grandparents that spoke cajun french. I guess we all share something that not many kids grew up with. Oh and how many of your grandma's made the best cajun food? I have traveled many places back in the day and been to many a restaurant that claims cajun food but nothing ever came close to grandma's cajun food. I miss my grandma. 
Page 3 of 5
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News