New Orleans: The "Un-South"? (Baker, Atlanta: fit in, movies, high school)

[BonneFemme]

Originally Posted by po-boy

IMO, New Orleans may be the most unusual city in the entire country. It is Southern in climate and pace. It is urban in the city layout. It is multicultural in a way few cities are and has been for most of its existence. It has a history matched by only a handful of American cities. It has endured more disasters than most cities. It tends to have a lower objective standard of living than many cities, but the residents tend to subjectively be a happier group. The culture has stong French and Spanish influences. Overall it is just a unique place. Some people don't care for it, but I love it.

It is very different from most of the rest of the South, but it is still very southern b/c for a very long time it was the defining city of the south. For decades it was the largest, richest, most influential city in the south. A center of commerce and culture.

I would agree with that! Nola is very southern but also very cosmopolitan. A unique combo!

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

New Orleans has always reminded me a lot of Philadelphia. It's old, dirty, corrupt, crime-ridden, artsy, flavorful, wonderful and exciting.

When I'm in Philadelphia, I'm eerily reminded of New Orleans. Seriously. Philly is obviously northeastern demographically and culture-wise, but there's some vibe between the two that I can't shake.

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[Gil3]

Originally Posted by magicoz

I live in Philadelphia but want to move to New Orleans. Long story. Is it true that New Orleans is like a Northeastern city in disguise? Because I couldn't help but notice the presence of Italian culture, Northeastern-like accents (Yat), Democrats (due to the minority population), and A&P supermarkets which are a New York/Philadelphia institution. Are true Southerners not liked down there?

New Orleans, while geographically located in the Deep South is a very cosmopolitan and diverse city with a strong influence of French, African and Spanish cultures and history.

New Orleans is in a universe by itself and I could go on all day about that.

Southeast louisiana has a very large Italian presence, as scores of Sicilian immigrants settled here from the 1890s to the 1920s, to work in the cane fields alongside the local and free Blacks and perform other labor that needed workers.

Folklife in the Florida Parishes: Italian-American Folklife

As a result, my great GF on my mothers side from Sicily got together with my great GM, who was Black and worked in the fields. The same intance occured on my father's side as well. I had no knowledge of this until 10 years ago, as this was a taboo subject on both sides.

Additionally, Greek, Chinese, Irish, German, Middle Eastern (mainly Lebanese) and Eastern Europeans settled in N.O. shortly before and at the turn of last century. At some point, there was even a small Chinatown and there is also the Irish Channel.

I never get bored with reading about Lousisiana and it's history as there is always something new to learn.

If there is such thing as a "gumbo" of different cultures and racial mixtures, New Orleans and South La. is definitely it.

[E.RR.Armoneaux]

Originally Posted by Gil3

New Orleans, while geographically located in the Deep South is a very cosmopolitan and diverse city with a strong influence of French, African and Spanish cultures and history.

New Orleans is in a universe by itself and I could go on all day about that.

Southeast louisiana has a very large Italian presence, as scores of Sicilian immigrants settled here from the 1890s to the 1920s, to work in the cane fields alongside the local and free Blacks and perform other labor that needed workers.

Folklife in the Florida Parishes: Italian-American Folklife

As a result, my great GF on my mothers side from Sicily got together with my great GM, who was Black and worked in the fields. The same intance occured on my father's side as well. I had no knowledge of this until 10 years ago, as this was a taboo subject on both sides.

Additionally, Greek, Chinese, Irish, German, Middle Eastern (mainly Lebanese) and Eastern Europeans settled in N.O. shortly before and at the turn of last century. At some point, there was even a small Chinatown and there is also the Irish Channel.

I never get bored with reading about Lousisiana and it's history as there is always something new to learn.

If there is such thing as a "gumbo" of different cultures and racial mixtures, New Orleans and South La. is definitely it.

Yeah you right, thats all Absolutley true. No place truly can be comepared to South Louisiana its a global region not just a national area.

[bchris02]

New Orleans is as Southern as it gets, its just not the rural South. Its one of the few cities in the South that was really built before the advent of the automobile. This is the reason the Northeast is so walkable and New Orleans was the capital of the South when Atlanta was still a small town.

[annie_himself]

All of the cities were built before the invention of the car, they just grew quicker when the car happened to be around.

[magicoz]

Originally Posted by WestbankNOLA

When I'm in Philadelphia, I'm eerily reminded of New Orleans. Seriously. Philly is obviously northeastern demographically and culture-wise, but there's some vibe between the two that I can't shake.

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Well, there are two similarities which really stand out: first of all, Philadelphia actually has some very Southern-looking areas especially in the southwestern portion. The waterfront area in Philadelphia County and Delaware County (along with parts of NJ and DE) is "rural" compared to the rest of the city. There are plenty of soul food joints and refineries. Actually that area reminds me more of Texas than anything else, along with the area between NYC and Boston. In most of Philly, the businesses that stand out are malls, department stores, cinemas etc... giving it a very urban vibe.

Also, the white accents in both areas are different but share certain unique characteristics. They both sound like a cross between the Southern and New York/Boston ones. But I would say the New Orleans and New York dialects have more in common with one another than the Philly and New York ones! You should especially notice that the New Orleans dialect is non-rhotic (Rs are pronounced the "lazy" British/black/Boston/New York way) but Philadelphia's isn't. I find it so strange how the African American accent is the same everywhere in the nation.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by magicoz

Well, there are two similarities which really stand out: first of all, Philadelphia actually has some very Southern-looking areas especially in the southwestern portion. The waterfront area in Philadelphia County and Delaware County (along with parts of NJ and DE) is "rural" compared to the rest of the city. There are plenty of soul food joints and refineries. Actually that area reminds me more of Texas than anything else, along with the area between NYC and Boston. In most of Philly, the businesses that stand out are malls, department stores, cinemas etc... giving it a very urban vibe.

Also, the white accents in both areas are different but share certain unique characteristics. They both sound like a cross between the Southern and New York/Boston ones. But I would say the New Orleans and New York dialects have more in common with one another than the Philly and New York ones! You should especially notice that the New Orleans dialect is non-rhotic (Rs are pronounced the "lazy" British/black/Boston/New York way) but Philadelphia's isn't. I find it so strange how the African American accent is the same everywhere in the nation.

That is so horribly incorrect.

[magicoz]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

That is so horribly incorrect.

Really? I think you must be comparing an African American's voice to a modern African or Caribbean accent. If not maybe you are comparing two American blacks with slight class differences to one another.

And I don't mean to offend but I really don't like the non-rhotic sound in any culture's accent. Because I was raised to speak "California" English (but I'm not from California) which is really the standard dialect used in American media, and many people's idea of proper English. A lot of people who speak this weird non-rhotic stuff make homophones out of words that aren't homophones to anyone else. Serious confusion can arise from that. And it sounds really trashy when people drop the R at the end of a word even if the next word they say starts with a vowel! I imagine a lot of kids in non-rhotic societies don't do very well on spelling tests, especially if they grow up with the "linking" R. Here are some examples of the "linking" R in famous songs:

1. The Beatles, a British band, sang "I SAR (saw) a film today, oh boy"

2. Billy Joel, a musician from NYC, sang "Brender (Brenda) and Eddie"

3. Oasis, another British band, sang "champagne supernover (supernova) in the sky"

Strangely, many Brits have this tendency even though they drop Rs from words that few Americans of any race do (for example, "bird" and "bud" are the same to the British). Even African Americans, who drop Rs before words starting with vowels much of the time, understand the difference between those two words. In my family, we aren't snobs, but we associate non-rhotic with toddlers and Elmer Fudd. I also know a guy with autism who talks a lot but has trouble enunciating, and I assumed he was British when we first met.

[annie_himself]

Have you heard black people talk? My accent doesn't even sound like anyone in Houston, so how do you assume that every black person talks the same?! Comparing my accent to a guy from New Orleans is a world of difference, let alone a black guy from California, Chicago, New York, or Miami.
Were did you grow up?