Annoying Misperceptions About N.O. (New Orleans, Supreme: living, family friendly, accents)

[annie_himself]

I really wish our language and culture was preserved under the state legislature.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

@SHV-ATL: I'm not talking about accents, local vocabulary, or influences; of course there are differences between Memphis and NOLA in all those. But both are English-speaking cities, just with a distinct native accent.

Montreal is a real French-speaking city. It operates in French, though many French speakers are bilingual. NOLA is English-speaking: jobs, schools, shops, colleges, street conversations, just with a more exotic accent. The French Quarter street signs in French are mostly for visitors; they're a nod to French Creole heritage, yes, but in practical terms the signs are fluff, and virtually no one in NOLA speaks French unless he/she is studying it at Tulane or U of NO. Many Europeans I've met are surprised at that. Often they were expecting a "functionally Francophone" city like Montreal. What they actually do find is, linguistically, much closer to Memphis.

Oh yeah, of course you're right. I didnt at all mean to convey that New Orleans is a real French speaking city. Just that the French influence extends throughout and is represented in the accent, architecture, street names, etc. So much so that I cringe reading Memphis and New Orleans in the same sentence. Even though I completely understand what you meant in that linguistically New Orleans is nothing like Montreal

[btownboss4]

How about that the USACE failed New Orleans during Katrina, while it was just as much the lack of upkeep by local levee boards.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

How about that the USACE failed New Orleans during Katrina, while it was just as much the lack of upkeep by local levee boards.

Oh , now you've gone and done it .

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

How about that the USACE failed New Orleans during Katrina, while it was just as much the lack of upkeep by local levee boards.

Uh oh...where's the door?

[Hawaii4evr]

Everyone seems to think New Orleans is always hot, rainy and humid, filled with bugs and alligators, and everyone says "Nawlins".

[Chilly Gentilly]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

Everyone seems to think New Orleans is always hot, rainy and humid, filled with bugs and alligators, and everyone says "Nawlins".

The hot and humid part is kind of hard to argue with...especially right now. But the whole Nawlins thing makes me want to thump small cats

[CAWjr]

Originally Posted by SHVtoATL

The hot and humid part is kind of hard to argue with...especially right now. But the whole Nawlins thing makes me want to thump small cats

People who believe that "Nawlins" & "Cher" are vocabulary mainstays in NOLA make me want to jump off the CCC.

[Virgil Steiner]

What I noticed the few times I visited New Orleans is they don't have a much Southern accent. No offense, but the accent there sounded a lot like a New York accent. I for one was really surprised. Some of the people there talked with that New York accent so thick I could just barely understand them and I'm hard of hearing anyways. I had to ask a lot of people to repeat there selves. Most of the time though I just acted like I understood what they were saying and shook my head in acknowledgement and said uh-huh, uh-huh, as they talked. Must have been a lot of New Yorkers that settled in New Orleans. That's all I could surmise.

I was also surprised at how strong the coffee is down there. I always drink my coffee black, no cream or sugar as I read the morning newspaper, but the coffee there in New Orleans, I just couldn't drink it. I thought the coffee tasted like it came straight from the ground. Like what you might think roots would tastes like.I figured the Mississippi river might have something to do with that coffee being so strong. It was about as strong as Starbucks and I think Starbucks coffee tastes burnt. I honestly don't see how anybody can drink that stuff and actually enjoy it. If you have to add cream and suger, then it ain't coffee anymore. It becomes something else.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Originally Posted by Virgil Steiner

What I noticed the few times I visited New Orleans is they don't have a much Southern accent. No offense, but the accent there sounded a lot like a New York accent. I for one was really surprised. Some of the people there talked with that New York accent so thick I could just barely understand them and I'm hard of hearing anyways. I had to ask a lot of people to repeat there selves. Most of the time though I just acted like I understood what they were saying and shook my head in acknowledgement and said uh-huh, uh-huh, as they talked. Must have been a lot of New Yorkers that settled in New Orleans. That's all I could surmise.

I was also surprised at how strong the coffee is down there. I always drink my coffee black, no cream or sugar as I read the morning newspaper, but the coffee there in New Orleans, I just couldn't drink it. I thought the coffee tasted like it came straight from the ground. Like what you might think roots would tastes like.I figured the Mississippi river might have something to do with that coffee being so strong. It was about as strong as Starbucks and I think Starbucks coffee tastes burnt. I honestly don't see how anybody can drink that stuff and actually enjoy it. If you have to add cream and suger, then it ain't coffee anymore. It becomes something else.

That's actually a native New Orleans accent. It sounds like a New York accent because the same immigrants landed in both places.

As for our coffee, it's got chicory in it. Real coffee was hard to come by during the Civil War so chicory was substituted. Now we drink it by choice. Any other coffee just doesn't taste right to me.

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