Posted on 09/10/2005 12:46:45 PM PDT by Mike Bates
If you've been listening to coverage of Katrina's devastation on the radio, you've no doubt heard the distinctive New Orleans accents of victims, officials, and rescue workers alike. Some of them speak with a familiar, Southern drawl; others sound almost like they're from Brooklyn. Why do people in New Orleans talk that way?
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
That's charming. Did someone write that in your yearbook?
Don't let these guys give you a hard time. We Texans have noticed that they talk different too:')
You want really, really strange English, try having a conversation with a South African....you know they're speaking the same tongue, but you can't understand a word of it.
You like James Carville? You are one sick dude, dude.
I have the same problem with some Irishmen, Barry. Hard to say where one word ends and the other starts.
Yellow fever I believe, in early 1900s.
What the hell? Reminds me of Bill Clinton when he was taking his last World Tour on our dime...their sense of entitlement knows no bounds.
The people of New Orleans have their own language. Its tone, lilt, and slang are indigenous to this city and reflect its ethnic history and tradition. New Orleans is part of the deep south, but you won't find much of a stereotypical southern drawl; in fact, there are several distinctive dialects. One of the most surprising is a Brooklynese style heard in the 9th Ward, Irish Channel, and Chalmette sections of New Orleans. Little or no French is spoken by the majority of folks in New Orleans.
I noticed that years ago. Someone from NO told me that in the late 1800's early 1900's they needed teachers and many of them came from New York City.
Hey Jesse, why do you talk as you do?
I did, and thought I had posted a follw up comment. But my computer keeps knocking me offline. So here it is again (I hope)
At first glance, this may give the impression of being a racist article .
However, the author does an excellent job of explaining the historical and cultural reasons for the unique dialect of New Orleans.
I was stuck in a dentist chair last week and had to endure Oprah and her visit to the hurricane areas. Actually the show wasn't as bad as I feared, but, honestly, I couldn't make out what those interviewed were saying. I wished there were subtitles, although I can see why this might offend those who were speaking.
Thinking of subtitles reminded me of this humorous little skit of a phony Iraq war update from Brit TV. I still had it bookmarked at:
http://www.abum.com/?show_media=1095
See my post # 52.
No. Love the accent. Despise the man. (And it's "darling" not "dude," darling. ;-)
We have a friend who is NO born and bred.
Until he said where he was from, I assumed he was a local.
Some of them, at least, sound exactly like Appalachian hillbillies.
Couple of months ago a Texan called about a trike kit and apologized beforehand in case I "couldn't understand him because of his accent".
I said "What accent?" and he cracked up...;))
[he sounded just like "home" to me]
I forget what part of Texas he was in.
People snicker at my accent but naturally I don't think *I* have one....they do....:)
Hubby grew up in Providence RI and to this day still has to ask me to repeat things because I'm occasionally "incomprehensible" to him.
[but I'm not the one who says "idear" for idea, "drawer" for "draw" or "foward" for "forward"...which is pronounced "ford" anyway]....:D
where has the blonde (i am going to punch you out)been lately you see her brother but haven't see a stich of her
there's a district, the Irish Channel .. they all have that Brooklyn accent, even tho native New Orleaneans.
Tabula rasa.
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