- 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
How French was almost decimated and efforts to save it in Louisiana
Posted on 2/4/25 at 8:49 am
Posted on 2/4/25 at 8:49 am
Most of us have stories or first hand accounts of family who were shamed for speaking French, and forced to not speak French in schools. I can remember as a kid visiting my grandmother and great grandmother regularly speaking French with one another over afternoon coffee, and my grandfather who owned a grocery store where conversing with local patrons in French was quite commonplace. To a lesser degree my mother and her siblings would speak it, until it had all been lost amongst my generation due to it simply not being spoken around us by a disappearing older French speaking generation. Poof gone. I feel pretty sure this is the same with most of us, save a very few who were fortunate enough to not be as affected by all of this.
I think this video does an outstanding job of explaining both the beginnings of the French language, evolution of it in the state, the deliberate attack on it being spoken, and hopefully the beginnings of it’s resurgence in Louisiana. Enjoy.
40
Posted on 2/4/25 at 8:59 am to Mike da Tigah
Same story here. Grandparents spoke it at home to each other and their friends but not to us. They didn't want us to speak it because it was quite literally beaten out of them
Fast forward to today, it's all but gone.
Over Christmas, I was with my wife's family and one of her uncles moved to Martinique and married a local woman decades ago. They were all in town with their son's fiancé's family (from Guadalupe).
There I stood, from South Louisiana (Lafourche Parish), a very French last name, not knowing what was being said..
I started Duolingo that night. I know it's not Cajun French but it's a place to start.
Fast forward to today, it's all but gone.
Over Christmas, I was with my wife's family and one of her uncles moved to Martinique and married a local woman decades ago. They were all in town with their son's fiancé's family (from Guadalupe).
There I stood, from South Louisiana (Lafourche Parish), a very French last name, not knowing what was being said..
I started Duolingo that night. I know it's not Cajun French but it's a place to start.
This post was edited on 2/4/25 at 9:17 am
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:00 am to Mike da Tigah
quote:
family who were shamed for speaking French,
What? Growing up in New Orleans we were required to take French class until like 5th grade.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:01 am to Mike da Tigah
It’s crazy how little you hear compared to in my childhood. It’s not even part of the Louisiana popular culture like it used to be.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:04 am to sidewalkside
quote:And yet folks from New Orleans (and BR) still pronounce Boudin terribly wrong by saying Boo-Dan
What? Growing up in New Orleans we were required to take French class until like 5th grade.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:06 am to Mike da Tigah
This happens as a common thing with each successive generation after the original non-English speaking family members come to the US. Believe it or not there are actually little Mexican kids in Texas who don't speak Spanish.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:07 am to mylsuhat
quote:
Boo-Dan
What is the proper way to say it.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:07 am to mylsuhat
quote:
And yet folks from New Orleans (and BR) still pronounce Boudin terribly wrong by saying Boo-Dan
That’s how it’s pronounced, smartie pants
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:08 am to Mike da Tigah
quote:
Most of us have stories or first hand accounts of family who were shamed for speaking French, and forced to not speak French in schools. I can remember as a kid visiting my grandmother and great grandmother regularly speaking French with one another over afternoon coffee, and my grandfather who owned a grocery store where conversing with local patrons in French was quite commonplace. To a lesser degree my mother and her siblings would speak it, until it had all been lost amongst my generation due to it simply not being spoken around us by a disappearing older French speaking generation.
Raises hand.
I would walk in the kitchen and my grandparents were conversing with each other in French and they would immediately switch to English like it was shameful to speak French. I wish they would have reinforced French on their kids and grandkids. I took two semesters of French college for my required foreign language credits and thought it was very difficult.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:08 am to Mike da Tigah
My grandma used to tell us stories about her getting her hands smacked with a ruler at school for speaking French. When we'd go visit my great aunt/uncle we always knew when they wanted us to leave because they'd start speaking french to each other 
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:10 am to mylsuhat
quote:
And yet folks from New Orleans (and BR) still pronounce Boudin terribly wrong by saying Boo-Dan
Are you saying the 'boo-dan" has to end with a soft or almost silent "n" sound?
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:11 am to sidewalkside
quote:
family who were shamed for speaking French,
What? Growing up in New Orleans we were required to take French class until like 5th grade.
lived in Lafayette a long time and had tons on Cajun French speaking friends, I never heard from any of them about it being "beaten out of them" at schools, hell, you could take courses in it at USL, I always got the impression they used it as sort of a patois to be able to talk in front of their kids without the kids knowing what they were saying
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:12 am to Mike da Tigah
look im like 80% french/cajun french.....but there is no need to speak another language in this country and french is a useless language. no different than someone of mexican heritage getting mad because they feel not enough people speak spanish in texas.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:13 am to 777Tiger
read somewhere Pierre Part has the largest French speaking community in the US
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:13 am to Purple Spoon
quote:
What is the proper way to say it.
boo-dehn
quote:
Are you saying the 'boo-dan" has to end with a soft or almost silent "n" sound?
Correct
This post was edited on 2/4/25 at 9:15 am
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:15 am to mylsuhat
Similarly, my dad spoke French, but that was because his grandfather only spoke French so he learned from him and was the only one of his siblings that could communicate with him. As a kid I remember my dad and my maternal grandparents always speaking French to each other when they didn't want the kids knowing what they were saying, and sadly none of them ever bothered to teach any of us.
I took French classes from 4th grade all the way through high school but only retain a pretty small bit of it. I been thinking about trying to learn it again.
I took French classes from 4th grade all the way through high school but only retain a pretty small bit of it. I been thinking about trying to learn it again.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:16 am to Mike da Tigah
I was fairly fluent in French as a kid and through college while still taking classes. I haven't spoke French with anyone in years. I doubt that I could unless I were dropped off in Paris for a month.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:17 am to mylsuhat
quote:quote:
Are you saying the 'boo-dan" has to end with a soft or almost silent "n" sound?
Correct
I think I'm a little incorrect. While the soft or silent "n" is correct you also need a little "h" sound in there like you phonetically spell out.
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:19 am to GumboPot
right, but what you said was close. I had to google the pronunciation to get the right spelling
Posted on 2/4/25 at 9:21 am to GumboPot
quote:
I think I'm a little incorrect. While the soft or silent "n" is correct you also need a little "h" sound in there like you phonetically spell out.
like a lot of French in south La we bastardize words to make them our own, for instance Lafayette, anyone from Lafayette will correct you if you pronounce it (properly
) as Lah-fie-et, they will tell you it's Laffee-et, same thing with Baton Rouge
Page 1 of 8
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News