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The New Orleans Accent


Mith242

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Nate's mentioned some of the unique aspects to the New Orleans accent in other topics. Just thought maybe we could have a topic about it. I believe Nate has mentioned how it's somewhat similar to some accents found in NYC of all places. But anyway here's a website I found that mentions a little about it. Thought we could have Nate check it over and see how accurate it is. :D

http://www.gumbopages.com/yatspeak.html

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I find a lot of the names of the streets and certain areas of the city very interesting. The closest I think I've come is Santa Fe where I think all the streets I've seen are in Spanish. You see a lot of hispanic names in other New Mexico cities but there's also a lot of non hispanic ones also mixed in.

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^That site is very interesting and accurate, Rod! Everything on the site seems to have been written by a Native New Orleanian.

I found myself reading through "A Lexicon of New Orleans Speech," and saying to myself "haha, I say that." :lol:

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^That site is very interesting and accurate, Rod! Everything on the site seems to have been written by a Native New Orleanian.

I found myself reading through "A Lexicon of New Orleans Speech," and saying to myself "haha, I say that." :lol:

Had you actually noticed all of that before? Years ago I guess I never really paid much attention to accents and such. I didn't even realize some of the characteristics I showed. But now I pay more attention to things like that.

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The more I read about the accent the more I'm trying to picture you speaking with it. :lol: For some reason all of that reminds me more of the way a guy I used to work with talked. But he was from Cleveland not New Orleans. Maybe I'm just not very good at picking out different northern or somewhat northern accents. But I swear it reminds me on some of the things he'd say.

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^When I was younger I really had no idea that I had a New Orleans accent, or even that a New Orleans accent existed. When I was in the French Quarter, practically everyone spoke the way I did. As I got older and got intertwined with other people from other areas of the south and country, and got those "Are you from New York" questions, I started to look at and learn more about the New Orleans accent.

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What a great link! As a lifelong New Orleanian, and having family here since the 1700's... mostly

in Algiers for the last 200 years, I'm suprised he left one out. Said by

family for as long as I can remember... it is "Up the line"... pronounced "Up

da lahn" Used as a general answer to questions about the location of just about

eveything. My aunts still use this term every day of their lives... both in

their 70's and lifelong "Algereens". Loved the link, and got some good laughs.

Very accurate, but it wouldn't be complete without "Up da lahn". :)

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Do you guys say 'yat' a lot? 'Where you at' seems like a unique phrase but for some reason it seems like I've heard of some language where people tend to greet each othet like that. I don't really know French well so it wasn't from it but I'm wondering if this comes from it or another language.

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^It's not as different as you might think. I think many people picture someone saying "Where Yat!" and putting alot of emphasise on "Yat!," as this is what many people in the New Orleans area do, but many people, including myself say it more like "where ya at" with more of a normal tone.

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^It's not as different as you might think. I think many people picture someone saying "Where Yat!" and putting alot of emphasise on "Yat!," as this is what many people in the New Orleans area do, but many people, including myself say it more like "where ya at" with more of a normal tone.

To me I'd never ask something like 'where you at?'. I guess that's more of what I'm trying to say. That phrase in itself seems odd to me. Although I know there are other phrases that probably seem odd if you think of them in a literal sense. But until recently I've just never heard of a phrase quite like this. I guess that's why it stands out so much to me.

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^That I can definately understand.

What do you normally say as opposed to "Where ya at" Rod?

I guess something like 'how are you?', 'how's it going?' something more along those terms. I wonder if you guys ever notice that terminology is different down there. Ever watch tv or something and notice people don't use the same words and phrases? :D

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I guess something like 'how are you?', 'how's it going?' something more along those terms. I wonder if you guys ever notice that terminology is different down there. Ever watch tv or something and notice people don't use the same words and phrases? :D

Haha, yea I picked up on it after awhile. It really doesn't bother me. I can normally adjust a bit if I need to if I am somewhere that is far from the New Orleans area, like Sweden. :D My family there all have that "huh :huh: ?" look on there face if I say some New Orleans term, rather than the standard English term. :lol:

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Hey TSmith, do you have that great New Orleans accent as well? :D

Just a lil bit. My mother's side of the family is from here... my dad's is from Kentucky, although his mother was from New Orleans, Adams St. in Uptown to be exact... so I do have some of the N.O. accent, but not as much as most. Although, I routinely say "Where y'at?" :lol:

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Another New Orleans term that isn't really said anywhere else is "Neutral Ground", which refers to the middle area between large roads. It is used rather than the term "median." A good example, is Canal Street or Saint Charles Avenue, where the road is seperated by neutral ground where the Streetcar tracks are located. The term can also be used to describe the center line in a two or four lane road, or any speration between the roads on the same system.

When I travel, I use the term "neutral ground" in other cities rather than "median" and people always just say "huh?" :lol:

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:rofl: at some of these sayings.

I remember when I used to work at @ grocery store, and this lady asked me where was the "cooking Earl". I looked at her like she was crazy, I didnt know she meant "oil"

the saying "K&B purple"....are they taking about the K&B drugstore?

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