Cajun English
5 most difficult American accents to understand…
Play videoA British man lists the American accents that he finds most difficult to understand. He mentions what historical and linguistic roots he associates with each accent, and he broadly points to how interesting it is that English speakers are not always intelligible to each other. Particularly for the last one, he expresses a complete inability to understand speakers of it, and many Americans in the comment section even agree.
The Onion: Nothing Doing Down Louisiana Way, Fly-Swattin’ Sources Report
In this article, the satirical news site The Onion attempts to imitate Louisiana/Cajun English, which is very different from the "Standard English" typically used by the media, including The Onion. The article uses phonological, morpho-syntactic, and lexical variables of Cajun English to satirize an over-the-top stereotype of people living in rural Louisiana. The linguistic features index certain social acts and attributes in order to form the Bayou stereotype. [Published on 04-12-2016]
Louisiana Accents
Play videoA native of Louisiana demonstrates her understanding of the different accents in her home state, including the Cajun accent and the New Orleans accent.
Swamp People
Play videoA clip from the History Chanell's TV program "Swamp People," featuring several Cajuns who hunt alligators for a living in Louisiana.
American Tongues: Cajun English
Play videoA clip from the documentary American Tongues featuring two speakers of Cajun English who code-switch between Cajun English and French