For All You Cajuns Need Help in pronouncing your State and Lafayette (New Orleans: transplants, living in)

[hdwell]

North La pronunciations:

Louisiana- Loo zee an uh, sometimes even Loo zan uh

New Orleans- New Or lunz, occasionally hear New Orleenz (don't really like that one)

Lafayette- Laughy ette. Unless you cross into Arkansas from Bossier Parish, then you are in La FAY ett county. HaHa!

There are lots of other names in Louisiana that are pronounced similarly throughout the state and some that aren't. My 2 cents

[Nikki Shinn]

Um...feller Losianian here...who usually goes with Laugh ee ette. Oh and if it's any relation, I went to grade school with a Lois Bordelon...I'd imagine it's relatable somewhere. Also go with New Orlans or New Orluns myself. I do tend to get to cringing when the out of towners, or people on CNN etc. tell me something went down in Boss ee aye. I have no clue where Boss ee aye is other then Le out by the Downs, which is in BOZHURE! I've said Lose ee ana my whole life and I'm a pretty smart chick.

For the official record, nobody who is genuinely from Louisiana puts an apostrophe between y and all. There is nobody real in Louisian who says ya all.

We say YALL. One word, one syllable, no missing letters, no punctuation. Yall. If you stutter after Y and before A everyone will know you're a transplant

A few tips about the crawdad state...

Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
There are 5,000 types of snakes, and 4,998 live in Louisiana.
There are 10,000 types of spiders, and all 10,000 live in Louisiana, plus a couple no one's seen before.
Possums will eat anything.
Armadillos love to dig holes under tomato plants.
Raccoons will test your crop of melons and let you know when they are ripe.
If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.
A tractor is NOT an all-terrain vehicle. They do get stuck.
“Onced” and “twiced” are words.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.
Fire ants consider your flesh as a picnic.
People actually grow and eat okra.
“Fixinto” is one word.
A tank is a hole in the ground to hold water for irrigation, for watterin' the cows, for swimming, or for a weekly bath.
There ain't no such thing as "lunch.” There's only dinner and then there's supper.
Coffee is appropriate for all meals, and you start drinking it when you're 2.
All tea is always iced. All coffee is always hot. If you serve us hot tea or iced coffee, expect to scrap.
"Backwards and forwards" means I know everything about you.
“Jeet?” is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
Darn near everyone knows 5 or more cloud types. (Guess they got to be look'n out for them ternayders--translation: tornadoes.)

Also:
You know you're from LOUISIANA if . . .
1. You measure distance in minutes.
2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
3. Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
4. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it, no matter what time of the year.
5. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixing to go to the store.
6. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
6A. You've lived in Louisiana your whole life and still didn't know Mardi Gras wasn't a national holiday.
7. You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave the place unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.
9. You know what "cow tipping" is.
10. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
11. The local paper covers national and international news on one page, but requires 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
12. You think the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
13. You find 100 degrees F "a little warm."
14. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.
15. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known as "goin wal-martin" or off to "Wally World."
16. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chili weather.
17. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop . . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: "What kinda coke you want?"
18. You understand these jokes and share them with your friends from Louisiana.

[WestbankNOLA]

I guess it all depends on where you are. Each corner of the state does seem to have a different accent anyway.
Alot of people I know say Loo-Weezy-Ana


something I found online
You know you're from NOLA if:

You drive your car up onto the neutral ground if it rains steadily and heavily for more than two hours.
You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas AND spell it.
You don't worry when you see ships riding higher in the river than your house or car.
You describe a color as K&B purple.
You have gained 10 to 15 pounds permanently, but you don't care anymore
You can cross two lanes of heavy traffic and u-turn through a neutral ground while avoiding two joggers and a streetcar, then fit into the oncoming traffic flow while never touching the brake.
You used to make groceries at Schwegmanns's with ya mama.
You U-Turn then turn right to make a left.
You didn't know there was a state of Louisiana outside of New Orleans.
You cringe when tourists say Nawlins' instead of Nu 'Awlins.
You could consistently be the second or third person to run a red stop light before the cameras went up.
You know that the Westbank isn't really the best bank, but letting westbankers think it is keeps them across the river.
You get on a bus marked "cemeteries" without a second thought.

[Drouzin]

LOL, good posts Nikki and BestBank, (just messing wit cha )

Coffee is appropriate for all meals, and you start drinking it when you're 2.

Heck, even the cat got his own saucer of coffee-milk. Mama loved that cat.

You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

Omg, just did that today!

You don't worry when you see ships riding higher in the river than your house or car.

Wow, I never thought about that! Well, I now worry about the levees when the water is particularly high and they're opening flood gates, but gee, never thought twice about the ships riding high.

You used to make groceries at Schwegmanns's with ya mama.

While you waved at your Daddy who was hanging out with the guys at the bar in front.

I'll add one to Westbank's list in keeping with the season...
You can name all 12 Yats of Christmas. Well, you can depending on how many, "dix pack of sixies," you've had.

[WestbankNOLA]

on the 1st day of christmas maw maw gave to me.. a crawfish they caught in Arabi

thanks Drouzin, I'm an eastbanker at heart though.
Algiers is ok, but the rest is your typical generic JP.

FRIED ONION RIIIIIIIIINGS!!!!!

[preachercrow]

Hi folks... I grew up in looJANNuh, and I know for a fact that such a pronunciation was "officially & legally approved" by the Louisiana State Government many years ago (in the 1930's?) after the request was submitted to the state by my mother (a certified English/Latin high-school teacher) and my great-uncle (a lawyer). I know for a fact that Huey Long pronounced Louisiana as "looJANNuh".

I don't know with absolute certainty, but I would bet that the looJANNuh/ LU zee anna/ LOSE ee anna/ LOU'siana pronunciation was traditional, going back to the original days. The "looWEEZEeanna" pronunciation came south with the early (and late) carpetbaggers. Most non-southerners (& ALL video/audio "news speakers") have always been Louise's.

Ah well... I am (somewhat) tolerant of mistaken opinions.

-preachercrow

p.s.
If you don't know what a "carpetbagger" is, go look it up.

[RoseQueen0304]

Hey, This has been a long running argument in my family for many years now. (3 kids, 3 separate 8th grade LA History teachers.) In fact, having this very argument tonight, I of course HAD to Google it. Following is the Wikipedia answer as well as a sound bit.

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana]Louisiana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url]

Then there is this one (pronounced the same, but less to read to find it): [url]http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/d112/Louisiana[/url]

Sound bit for Lafayette: [url]http://www.forvo.com/word/lafayette/[/url]

[Innotech]

As a lifelong resident of this great state, I pronounce it "Laf-EE-Yet" and
"La-Wee-zee-ana". I pronounce New Orleans as "New Ar-lins".

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Innotech

As a lifelong resident of this great state, I pronounce it "Laf-EE-Yet" and
"La-Wee-zee-ana". I pronounce New Orleans as "New Ar-lins".

Gnaw-lens!

[SacalaitWhisperer]

Just use the term Acadiana area and you'll be fine.