FYI on Louisianans and other southerners.
Now I am doing this off the top of my head and I do not know how to spell everything or the correct way to write the phonics but I will try. If you are visiting Louisiana you will want to know how to read and pronounce some of our words (Note I have lived in LA for 13 years and I still get some of the words wrong).
Louisiana Specific:
Hebert - This is a town in Louisiana and a persons last name. Depending on which it is pronounced completely different. So if you are referring to Hebert, LA then it would be like He + Bert, LA. If it is someones last name it is, long a(as in ‘Bay’)+bear.
Anything ending in eaux is the long o. Some examples:
So if you see Boudreaux. That is like boo + drow.
Tibideaux, ti+bi+do (like the o in ‘doe’ - a deer)
Another simular is words that end in eau = either long o or new (Not 100% for sure). Example:
Lake Bistineau
Also, in Louisiana there are a lot of areas that still have street names, businesses, etc after the native americans that once occupied that region. Examples:
So like I live in Ouachita Parish which is named after the Ouachita Indians.
Ouachita is pronounced wash-uh-taw.
Cheniere = shin-long e- (‘e’ as in we)
I live in Northeast Louisiana we speak more like East Texas, so if you run across someone from southern Louisiana who has a thick accent. Just do what I do, smile and nod. Then ask someone near by to translate. :)
Common Southern words. Some have been made famous by Jeff Foxworthy but really are commonly used:
1) Jew or ju - did you
2) aight - all right
3) ain’t/cain’t - am not/cannot
4) gitonouttahur - get on out of here
5) whatcha - what do you
6) sensuous - since you was
7) yonder - is a term of distance that can be 10 yards to 10miles.
example: Down yonder
example: over yonder
8) naw - no
9) dowhatcha - do what you(r)
10) feller - fellow
11) Hammer - Ham or
12) youra - you are
13) git - get
14) bard - borrowed
15) ignert - ignorant
16) far - fire
17) tar - tire
18) retard - retired
19) farn(er) - foreign(er)
20) em - them
21) dija - did you
example: dija git’em?
22) gummit - not for exactly what it is
23) dag - mean dang
example: dag gummit
24) ranch - wrench
25) turtlehole - car trunk
26) tire - tower
example: shortwave tire
27) tarred - tired/exhausted
28) bob war - bob wire
29) ju-here - did you hear?
30) Ah - eye or I
example: Ah think ah’ve got somethin in muh ah.
31) muh - my
32) attair - that there
33) awl - oil
34) bleeve - believe
35) bawl - boil
36) gal - girl
37) cowhand - a cowboy
38) cyst - assist
39) everwhichaways - any direction
40) coke - any soft drink
example: so if you go to a restraunt and ask for a coke, be prepared to be asked what kind? Also, if you say pop they are going to think dad or grandpa.
example: I have heard some refer to it as soda water but that isn’t common…think it is used more in midwestern states.
41) idinit - isn’t it
42) muchablige - much a bilged
43) saar - sour
44) sugar - a kiss
45) arn - iron
example: tar arn
46) whup - whip
47) fer - for
48) munts - months
49) hod - hard
50) squarsh - squash
51) yall - you all
Also pretty much any word ending in ‘ing, we drop the ‘g’. So huntin, fishin, swimmin, dancin, etc.
Towns ending in ville. Hallsville, Farmersville, Downsville, is pronounced Hallsvull, farmersvull, downsvull.
