Thanks EVPN for the sponsorship, go to www.expressvpn.com/xiaomanyc and find out how you can get 3 months of ExpressVPN free! French speakers, how much of the Creole in this video were you able to understand?
Creole French languages emerged from the intense contact between French-speaking colonizers and enslaved African populations, driven by the need for communication in a multilingual and multicultural context. Over time, these languages evolved from simplified pidgins into complex and stable creoles, becoming integral parts of the cultural and national identities of their speakers.
Je suis français de Lorraine et je dois dire que les conversations sont plutôt compréhensibles. On sent que certaines tournures de phrases sonnent anglophones, c'est-à-dire qu'elles semblent être traduites de l'anglais vers le français mot pour mot. Ce n'est pas forcément la manière de s'exprimer qu'aurait un français vivant en métropole, puisque les expressions changent d'une région à l'autre. Cependant cela reste très compréhensible, surtout pour ce qui est du vocabulaire puisqu'il est exactement le même. Et je dois te féliciter pour tes efforts et ton travail en français !
Can someone explain why ari/xiaoman repeats what he's saying a lot? I understand it's a form of informing others you are thinking but is there any benefit to it? In some languages it's used as emphasis and not thinking, you'll just repeat the same thing twice, but he does this for every language. Or is it just stimulating the connection between motor cortex/prefrontal/temporal lobes to figure out what the next word is based on muscle memory?
I like how respectful the elders were when speaking Creole with you. Even though it took you a little second to get your words right they listened intently and were happy to help you learn more and were generally just so happy to see a younger person learn the language they so deeply care for. I think that's really sweet
I have a friend whose first language is Spanish. I am very insecure about speaking Spanish, because I know I’m not saying it “right”. The way her face lights up when I try to say things encourages me greatly! She’s helping me learn how to roll my r’s. It’s a work in progress.
Back in my misspent youth, I spent time in Europe. The face expressions you describe is exactly what I experienced when attempting to speak not just the national language, but the local dialect. The vast majority of people, even those in France, appreciate the attempt that is made. I think it's because doing so is a demonstration of respect for culture and history, something we don't necessarily do if we're native English speakers.
Loved that cook/waiter who was saying “I don’t speak much French” and then he just started talking up a storm in his awesome southern/cajun/creole French accent. So cool.
I appreciate that you made a distinction between Cajun and Creole. A lot of people make the mistake of lumping them together and using the terms synonymously. While there’s some degree of overlap, they’re each a separate thing that developed independently from each other and gave their own unique traits and history.
Just as many people brand themselves Cajun just because they were born in Louisiana. If you had a specific lineage traced back to Canada you can claim it. Given now with time that number is huge but there are many who claim that have nothing to do with the name. The term Cajun came from a slaughtered word of Acadian, those who derived from Acadia. They were a certain group of French settlers that faced expulsion, some going north some going south.
@@nerox2actually the originals Cajuns stated that their children were Creole bc only the persons “immigrants” were Cajun and not their Louisiana born children so no one in Louisiana should be using the term. It’s been alive and grown due to racism unfortunately
@@MissThomandrawhere did you get that information? Creole is a mix of race not a term of birth place. Specific linage of a certain group of people traced back to Canada can claim it. Never have I had family wise claim what you stated. I do agree that Cajun is a derogatory slang word from how it was derived but many races seem to take highly offensive words and try to make it lose its meaning. Another that is used is “coonass” which I always give someone the 🤨 when they referred to themself in this way but that’s going off topic.
@@MissThomandra you made the very error and contradicted the original posters statement. There is a clear distinction between Creole and the term Cajun. One being a mix of race the other a place of origin that was slaughtered by English.
Right!? I honestly teared up. This is how I feel about German/Texas German. When you hear that sound it can be so powerful. You feel like you’re with family even if they’re strangers. So many Europeans don’t really understand and can even get offended if you say “I’m Texas German” or something like that.
I think one of the forgotten tragedies of WWI was Woodrow Wilson’s campaign against anyone not speaking English. We lost immeasurable amounts of beautiful culture when we killed off our separate languages. Every one at least speak English? Ok. But I hope we learn from our mistake and push to have people speak the language of their heritage too.
About 6 year's ago. I was working for a lady and she spoke to her son in Polish and what she said took me back to when I was a boy talking to my grandmother in the living room. She spoke Russian but it was close enough to trigger it. Моя бабушка. Я лобет те.
"We ate all of the food, already Y'all can go home". I lived in Japan for 6 years, and returning home made me really appreciate this sort of light banter that you find in America. The ability to crack a joke to a complete stranger and have a full conversation having never met, then get invited to their weekly shindig. So awesome! I certainly took it for granted for many years.
I love all of your videos, but this one really hit my heart. The elders speaking of language and how it stirs up memories and physically feeling it. It's culture, it's in our DNA. As a Native American "Indian" who wants to learn languages, I feel this in my soul. The lovely women who spoke of community. Doesn't matter what you look like, you all come together... that's what it's like with us. We live on a Reservation, but it's really a community. This is what and why people don't move away. If they do, they often come home. It's a beautiful thing. Thank you for sharing and thank you to the people that share with you! Louisiana is a beautiful place with beautiful people and culture.
If he was anything like my grandpa was you'd go there and they'd be closed. Then the next time you saw him and asked him what was up with the "5am meeting" he'd about piss him self laughing that you really went looking for them.
The shit that’s going on lately - that crowd that’s angry about everything - thinks that everyone should speak English and all other languages shouldn’t be spoken because of ultranationalist beliefs. They don’t take into account these languages were here before we were actually a country
I’m a Cajun from south Louisiana, and this post makes me so happy. Thank you! when I was growing up, kids from “down the bayou” had to be taught English as a second language.
Yesss many people down the river have to learn English to interact with other parishes. I myself grew up knowing Spanish and English since I grew up north LA but many times it's hard to conversate with other ppl from different parishes. Each parish has a different dialect
I was about to say the same thing about Chauvin! My girlfriend is from Florida and she finds it amusing that I can clock someone as being from Louisiana just from their last name in many cases
Ouin, de ton nom je le savais que t'es de la-bas! Je viens d'un pays qui est a nord de vous autres, mais je ne vais pas le nommer. Are you able to understand that at all? I'm really curious!
I live a couple of states over and know a Cajun guy. Just making the effort ask about the culture or just learning one or two phrases will go a long way with them.
@@NickBVaughtas with any culture. Something as simple as words & food bring us closer together and break down barriers that we put up. Truly shows how human & alike we are. The smile is universal communication. Americans don’t realize how many other people learn 2-3 languages before even picking up English. Wish they had made that standard in grade school.
@@Andrew-qm5im its not that hard to lose a little chub bros, he looks way healthier and hes not that big of a guy so it wouldnt take that much time/effort
My wife and I are originally from here, but left 15 years ago. On my second viewing I realized that's my wife's uncle at 8:35. He owns the building that hosted the French round table.
I am a 47 yo french canadian from Quebec and I understood 100% of your conversations and this whole process moved me. The resilience of the french speaking is touching and its perenniality is challenged everywhere in the world. Thank you for shedding some light on it. Merci du fond du coeur.
You should come down here for our Festival de Louisiane if you ever get the chance. It's a week long festival in Lafayette LA where we bring bands and artists etc from all of the French speaking areas of the world together. It's SO FUN and the food is delicious!!! It's usually around the last week in April, so it's not too hot yet. 😊
@@TheJuliousnessBonsoir, je suis le jeune parisien dont vous parlez et je ne peux qu’approuver ! Merci pour ces beaux mots c’est plus que nécessaire en ce moment, bonne soirée !
@@jungkais2737 tout d’abord, enchanté! 😁 c’est évident pas probable que la France se mette à parler anglais un jour, mais la déclinaison de la qualité du français est réelle et même aujourd’hui. Merci pour votre commentaire! 👏🏻
As a 50y/o native of Louisiana and a family rich in cajun heritage, thank you very much f9r this video, Sadly the cajun language in our family started to dwidle with my grandmother's passing. I try to speak as much as I can but as you know, its only spoken in small, rural communities now and our state is absolutely horrible at teaching and keeping our language alive. Like many languages throughout history, it's up to people to keep their heritage alive. You do one hell of a job promting that, it's extremely admirable. Thanks again for all you do,
please keep using it, my family stopped speaking polish and after that we lost most of our culture. I don't want the same thing happening to you. bonne chance a vous!
Go to Kinder, Louisiana, where we speak Coushatta. That is the language of my people, the Coushatta Tribe, or Koasati in my language. Unfortunately, it’s a dying language. Only some elders still speak it. My grandparents spoke the language, but they never taught my mother. Tribal members made a dictionary in the 1980s, and we have an online dictionary on our website. I am trying to learn to be a vessel for our culture. If you have time, you can visit our tribe. Our nice hotel displays our history and handmade pine needle baskets. Being american I hope you can also show some love to the beautiful Indigenous people and culture of this land.
I grew up in Oakdale but moved to Lake Charles after I graduated. I pass through Kinder bi weekly to go visit my family, even worked at the casino a long time ago!
I THINK he may have done a video in which he speaks Coushatta. Try checking his list of videos over the past year or two. I could be wrong but the language name seems to be ringing a bell in the dim recesses of my brain….
The part with the elders was so heartwarming to listen to. The stories about the whole area being a family was so touching. Love all of this but that was my fave part 😊
the server in the restaurant "my french is not good", proceeds to flawlessly explain the menu in french! hahaha such a humble man! ton français est super bon, Y'as pas de probleme icitte mon ami!
@@rickhaas58 I believe he was talking about Creoles of South Louisiana: Three Centuries Strong by Elista Istre and just had the author mixed up, because to my knowledge Herman Fuselier has only written about the typology of Creoles in his journalism, not his novel length books (Fuselier DID write a review of Three Centuries Strong for the Lafayette Daily Advertiser though!)
This is the side of America that I love...humble and appreciation for everyone's roots and culture. I don't care if we're talking white black or brown but everywhere I look in the world most poor people tend to be kind hearted
litterally this is America, the shit you see on the news is extreme and rare or in crime ridden areas. The rest of the country is just good people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds
It's so refreshing and beautiful to see people who wish to carry on their family and culture's traditions. Language is such an incredible tool that humans have available to them.
That's how I feel too! I screamed at my husband that he was in The Pig (what we call the grocery store Piggly Wiggly) and Chicken On the Bayou!!! Both 5 minutes from my house!
I havent heard anyone mention a piggly wiggly in years! I worked at one in Old Hickory, TN. When i tell people about it they look at me so confused lol.@aimee6420
😭😭😭😭😭 The first elderly man who interacted with Xiaoma made me so happy. This is what growing up in a small town is like a lot of the times. You're just walking or standing around minding your own business and some old guy comes up to you just to make a joke and start conversations. "We ate it all, there's no more" was such a warm familial joke. The kind you fake laugh at because they're laughing so genuinely at their own joke you can't help but join in.
As a Louisiana native and also someone of whom lost my Creole culture and tongue, Id like to say thank you for showing the world just a peak of what it was like here once. 😢 I miss tjose days
Honey, a "peak" is the top of a mountain. A quick look is a "peek". (Just helping you a little with your l'Anglais, since your native tongue is Creole French.)
Ive been waatchingyour channel off and on, and wanted to say you're such an inspiration. Wish there were more like you to share with the younger generations no matter the language, it's just absolutely beautiful.
The surname LaGrange is a French Creole surname. French Creoles are white Louisianians of French and/or Québécois heritage. Not to be confused with non-white Creoles such as Creoles of Color (mixed race) or Afro Creoles. There are other white Creoles too like Spanish Creoles (Isleños, Malagueños in Louisiana), German Creoles (with surnames such as Folse, Trosclair, Haydel, Toups etc) and even the real Cajuns (Louisiana Acadians) were called Acadian Creoles before the term Cajun spread in the 1960’s-1970’s (and subsequently adopted by many non-Acadians today, it’s a long story). The early settlers of colonial Louisiana were from France and Québec. But there’s an additive to your surname. Although it was a colonial Louisiana surname, it was from Mobile. The coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama was once part of the Louisiana colony and had French Creole populations. When the British invaded Mobile, most of the French Creoles fled to south Louisiana and you’re a descendant of them.
Work hard and Party hard. I'm not Cajun but most of my cousins are. I try to make the trek home to Louisiana at the end of every February, though I usually try to wait till after Mardi Gras, because travel is cheaper. I go because there are like 6 or 7 birthdays in the family in 2 weeks and there's usually a BIIIIG crawfish boil around that time. 2025 Mardi Gras will be in early March so I might still be there but I'll be far enough out in the woods. I'll probably only be able to hear the Banjos 🤣
Louisiana folks, what a beautiful community of people you have, i loved seeing servers sit down to take orders, and that it was just one big conversation everyone joined. I felt such a longing to belong there. ❤
Haha, I actually cried listening cause I miss Louisiana and the south so much. I'm really glad you highlighted this. People don't know enough about Louisiana and its culture.
i don't ever say things like this, but i'm sure this channel is one of the most important things on the internet. i really hope he keeps this going for the long run. imagine where this will be in ten years.
I loved watching this video. I’m French Canadian from Northern Ontario. It’s interesting to hear the differences in Creole vs Cajun. I could understand the Cajun more easily. With the Creole I sometimes had to go back and listen again or felt myself saying, speak more slowly! I could figure it out most of the time but the Cajun was more easily understandable and the ‘Acadien’ influence was still evident. This was a real treat. Also, the informal social exchanges and sense of community really reminded me of my roots in a small town in the far North of Ontario in a single industry town (pulp and paper; others close by mining). Thanks for sharing. Where I grew up, we have the formal standard French we speak and the slang or what we call ‘joual’ French. And you would adjust the type of French you speak depending on the situation. Also, people tended to mix in anglicisms. So, for example, a lot of verbs in French end with ‘er’. So instead of using the correct stationner for parking a car, they would say ‘parker’ with the er pronounced like a long a. And instead of automobile, the standard word, they would say ‘char’. So Parker le char! A lot of bastardized words. Some years back, I was charting on the unit at the hospital and the respirologist from England was going to go in to do a consult on a patient from Northern Ontario. I had already done an assessment with him and knew that his French was very very slang. I offered to go in with him to translate and he was adamant that he was fluent in French, uh, yah…Parisien French. I let him go for a laugh and he was back out in 2 minutes and then I went in with him. He could not understand much of what the guy said. It wasn’t just the accent but the vocabulary too. Altogether quite amusing 😂😂
That Creole table was a really beautiful moment. I like how they were all connecting with their heritage to honor and remember their families like that. It really warmed my heart. ❤
Xiao casually doing what people struggle with. New Languages? In the bag. World Travel? Part of the routine. Weight Loss? Dedication paying off. Keep inspiring, Xiao!
@@deekelley891whole time watching and reading these comments i was wondering why it wasn’t being mandated in schools! glad to hear it is hopefully it keeps the language and culture alive
@@broidk8291 because it's useless lol. sure it's a cool language, but it is completely useless for everyday life and will probably never come in handy.
These sort of videos really make me smile, when all we hear is how divided our country is, but then you go out and meet people and see how kind and unified we can be
I'm American, but have lived half of my life in France, and I teach a class here about Franco-American Relations. I will try to use this in my course the next time, because we do discuss Missouri (Paw Paw) French and the Grand Dérangement which led to Créole/Cajun French in Louisiana. Merci beaucoup, for continually challenging yourself to learn new languages, which, via your channel, helps keep many that are in danger of disappearing, alive.
I’m so bummed to know you were finally in my neck of the woods and I didn’t come down to try and meet you. My grandmother was from Austria but grew up in the bayous of Louisiana. I can understand very little of the language but I have a great appreciation for you coming down here and learning my ancestors language. And you have to admit that was some of the best food you’ve ever eaten in your life!!
It’s all just Creole. The culture, the cuisine, the people, regardless of race. Cajuns are white Louisiana Creoles. There are several white Louisiana Creole groups like French Creoles, Spanish Creoles, German Creoles and Acadian Creoles (those with predominant Acadian heritage). Many of these have mixed with each other today and possess multiple ancestries. Likewise, there are also a few non-white Creole groups like Creoles of Color (Euro/black mixed race), Métis Créole (Euro/Amerind mixed race), Afro-Creoles (black) and Filipino Creoles (their ancestors arrived to Louisiana aboard Spanish galleon ships in the 1700’s).
As a Canadian, many of us are used to some sort of "Frenglish" depending on where we live. That said, much of that Creale was comprehensible. Been loving your content for years now! Keep up the linguistic adventures!
I went on a French immersion trip with school that was based out of Jausier in the Alps, but the city of Arnaudville was the gateway city. The people that live there and around Breaux Bridge are important to the long life that I firmly believe Cajun and Creole will continue to have as languages. The Ubaye Valley program doesn’t teach Cajun French, but rather that even in France there are patois and dialects. The people of South Louisiana are its protectors, me included. The native Louisiana tribes need the same love and tender care for their languages, now more than ever. This is an awesome video that scratches a facetious and hard-hitting topic. Thank you as always Xiaoma 💕
Fantastic video ! As a French I found it pretty interesting to hear this kind of Creole French. I knew French was spoken there but I’ve never heard it before now. Merci !
@@LoneStarRay globally yes, I understood the conversation. Only the Cajun French part was more difficult for me to understand, the subtitles helped me here.
Someone came to my school halfway through this past year who only spoke French creole. Everyone was very curious about it since we’d never heard of it before and many people used google translate to try to speak to him haha I’m glad to know more about this language! Sad to hear it’s endangered
I'm from southwest Louisiana and I remember my grandparents speaking cajun french. They mostly spoke it when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. I never learned french, except for a few sayings and cuss words. I wish I had learned. It makes me sad that we are loosing that part of our culture and that my children will likely never get to hear many people talk in cajun french. Thanks for coming to south Louisiana and making this video. It reminds me of my grandparents.
My grandparents and great-grandmothers would do the same thing. Now they're all gone, and the only French that I know is continental French. But I could understand some of what they said in the video (the subtitles helped).
Im from opelousas and work in Cecilia. So good to see South Louisiana culture shown in a positive light. Thanks for coming down and experience our culture.
As a Louisiana Creole(this includes cajun people) person seeing this pop up on my notification has made me so happy, our French program here for school sucks. Instead of teaching us our local French, they teach us standard French, and call it proper French, implying that Louisiana Creole and Louisiana French are improper to speak! I’m so happy that you’re talking about this. Thank you so much, for bringing awareness to my culture Some other fun facts for y’all The Louisiana government made it illegal to speak Louisiana French in public and school alongside Louisiana creole, because of the Americanization and being forced to speak English, we developed our own vernacular dialect(CajVE) of English called Cajun English, it actually has a lot of things similar to what is called Ebonics or African-American English(AAVE). That’s why you will see a lot of the older generations being able to speak French, but not the younger generations as it was considered, shameful to teach your children in French
Salut! En tant que français, je trouve aussi cela dommage. Nous perdons toute pluralité et diversité. En métropole aussi, les langues régionales, les patois se perdent... Pire encore , les jeunes ne parlent plus correctement le français , ils s'en fichent totalement. La régression culturelle est mondiale et je suis persuadé que c'est voulu par les élites dirigeantes. Les analphabètes sont une aubaine pour la manipulation de masse. Bon courage et bonne continuation.
European French are the one culture I know of that won't accept that dialects exist (I am from Quebec). Its very strange compared to the general acceptance of different forms of English. For instance Americans wouldn't say that Jamaicans speak english incorrectly lol, its a different form of the language. Though French people do this for any other form of the language.
My grandmother was old enough to see her native language banned by the school. Very sad, and it made her so ashamed of it that she didn’t pass on the French to her kids. That side of the family has been in Cajun Country since their expulsion from Nova Scotia, too.
@@TH-camhandle579yep, as I’m not fully fluent, kind of like the people in the video I understand more than I can speak. I have had mixed and varying results on the times I have speaking the bit of French I’ve known to other people, including French Europeans. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of better reactions from people from North America and Africa then I have from European. Also fun fact due to the language being banned(it was made illegal to be taught in schools and spoken in public, and this only ended in the 70s) because of this us, Cajun and Creole people developed our own vernacular form of English that has a lot of similarities to Ebonics or African-American vernacular English
@@the_rachel_sam I have a very similar situation, my family is from Opelousas, so depending who you ask it is or is it in Acadiana but you know most people do say it is. I’m Gen Z, so my mawmaw(my great grandmother) had taught me some when I was young but always encourage me only to speak it with my family, anyways she ended up developing Alzheimer’s and never fully taught me yet nor did she teach my grandparents or my father out of shame. I’m legitimately still mad and upset that our language was banned, there’s a certain level of sadness that I have not been able to put a word to it
I am from Mauritius island located in the Indian Ocean on the East (correction I mentioned West before) of Africa. We speak French creole here and it sounds alike, awesome!! Mo bien content, merci!! I love all your videos! 🤘😃
As a french guy this is very interesting to see and hear , i can understand the sentences but only with help of the subtitles ...without , its just words or part of sentences Great vid!
that is how cajun french is. French without any grammer almost. I am from louisiana grew up in French immersion, we had teachers from france, belgium, even canada. We were taught proper french and I can barely speak with the cajuns who speak cajun french.
@@jacobeccles5127It’s actually not Cajun French, it’s officially called Louisiana French. Reason being, it’s not a dialect from Acadie, it’s a mixed dialect formed from various dialects across the French speaking world such as from France, Québec, Acadie and the French Caribbean. There’s also borrowed words from Spaniards, Latin America, the Spanish Caribbean, Native Americans and West Africans. It’s a gumbo of a French dialect, absolutely not Acadian.
Now that's America! After watching too much news your videos always remind me what people are really like. All over the world most people are kind and accepting. ❤️
laissez le bon temps rouler!!! ... thank you for going to Louisiana! our grandparent's generation had the French beat out of them. there was also stable dialects of Louisiana Spanish until the 60s
@@Dragoncam13Isleño Spanish will die out in a generation or two. Unlike the French language in Louisiana, there is no preservation efforts to revive the language among young isleños and only the elderly and some middle aged people speak it fluently. I can speak a good amount of it, because it was passed to me unlike most. But there are not enough speakers for one and it’s no longer being passed on. Similar to what’s happening to Louisiana French but, in a more dire condition. Much like Louisiana Creole is, but even worse. Isleños will wound up like Italian-Americans in the future, knowing just words or phrases only.
Love this video. Both sides of my family,mom and dad, were from Eunice, Louisiana. All spoke the language fluently. All my aunts,except one, and all uncles are gone. Thank God my two brothers and my 1st. cousins in Eunice can speak the language. It is definitely starting to disappear. I find it confusing when we go home for a visit and i hear the beautiful accents but they cant say 5 words in creole or cajun. Then i be like, "well ha you gon talk like dat but caint talk French eh?"
As someone from Louisiana it’s beautiful to see other people get to experience our deep culture and be able to spread it to others thank you for makin dis video, Merci du fond du coeur
I've watched a lot of videos like this from different youtubers and the thing that strikes me the most is just how much friendlier people become when you learn their language and try to speak it. It's such an easy way to break the ice and it just brightens up their day. I love these videos.
to some extent, I traveled across France solo with no money and speaking french fluently definitely helped and it was the best experience of my life and had the most interesting conversations ever. How ever despite speaking German and English fluently too my adventures there were total disasters. I think french people are much hospitable and generous by nature. especially if you live Paris circle.
No such thing as Cajun food. Acadians integrated into Louisiana when they arrived, adopted the cuisine and culture of Louisiana and added to it like everyone else did. In the Louisiana colony, there was no such thing as a Cajun. There were only Creoles and Native Americans. Creoles being the non-indigenous population of any race including whites, blacks, mixed race people and Filipinos. Creole also came to signify the meaning of local. As in local food, local culture, local people, local produce, local products, local livestock etc. thus, the traditional name of Louisiana’s traditional local cuisine and culture that is rooted in it’s colonial past is called Creole. Louisiana’s non-indigenous peoples of any race are Creoles. Its cuisine is Creole. It’s music is Creole. The Louisiana born children of the Acadian settlers were not called Cajuns in the Louisiana colony, they were called Creoles. Acadian Creoles to be exact. Cajun is a term that was once a derogatory term akin to poor Acadian redneck. But some folks decided to flip it into an identity and it spread in the 1960’s-1970’s among mixed origin peoples. It’s a recent phenomenon. Attaching Cajun to everything these days is a plague on Louisiana’s culture, cuisine and identity. Not even Cajuns today are actual Acadians, but are mixed origin peoples with ancestry from all over France and the colonial French empire and many even have Spanish, German, English/Irish and/or Italian admixture. This is evidenced by surnames, immigration records and family trees. It’s time folks face these facts. Look at the foods of Acadie, it doesn’t resemble south Louisiana cuisine. Yet we can find foods in France, Spain, the French and Spanish Caribbean, Latin America, Native America and Africa that resemble south Louisiana’s cuisine. Why? Because our cuisine is a mix of all these influences. No such thing as Cajun food.
As a German, I've unfortunately never been able to try it (yet), but anytime I see it anywhere, it looks sooo good. Really hope to get my hands on authentic Cajun food at some point.
Great episode! I live and was born in Louisiana. This episode went just how I expected, friendly people, great food, and cultural mixing where everyone gets along and is friendly! That’s Louisiana! If only our roads were good😫
My grandpa, rest him, much like the older gent you spoke to last (in the grey shirt) couldn't speak a lick of English until he was taught how in school. The older cook that spoke to you about the menu reminded me of him when he spoke and it brought me to tears. I sadly don't speak Creole or Cajun, though most of my older family members did, and this journey had me nodding and laughing the whole time. (Born Louisianian, currently living in Ohio) Thanks so much for this, Ari - I hope to see more on your trip there and hope you very much enjoyed yourself. Us Lousianians are a .. special breed of people. :D
This was awesome to watch. I've never been so hungry for Creole cooking than I am right now after watching this! It all looks so good. The French dialects are so diverse. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Oh Ari, this is awesome….I always love your videos, but this one is very special. The south, in general, just has a different way of talking. I am from South Georgia, raised in North Florida and living in South Alabama for the last 25 years. I am 60. I just really love what you do.
He's not though. He learns what he needs in the moment. Five yrs from now he won't be able to just sit and converse freely in any language he's "speaking" now. It won't stick
@@XxSeeTrebbssxXpoint is, he’s not linguistically gifted, at least not more than you. Don’t be discouraged, anyone can learn a language to broken conversational level with a few months if you try. Give it a shot and you won’t regret it
But this is social media. And we're only exposed to it because of the internet. These interactions can be uplifting and inspiring for millions of people who will never be able to travel to this part of the world. Social media isn't the problem. The elite want you to think the problem is us talking to each other online. They want us to abandon the ability to communicate with each other in unrestricted ways. Don't fall for it.
@chrisquiett1776 Just like anything, Social Media is only as unhealthy as you make it. Especially nowadays! Because of a little thing called algorithms, you get fed what you wish to consume. In other words... You will find what you're lookin for without even realizing your looking for it. A good trick to find out where your head really is, is to pay attention to what pops up in your "feed". Your FYP is only based off of what you show interest in by clicking on it or searching for it. And that goes for everything! Facebook, TikTok, TH-cam, Netflix, Hulu... literally everything! Social media is like a drug that's alive and chasing those who aren't careful. You can take control back by being intentional about what you consume.
@tux1968 TH-cam isn't really "social media" though. It's a video sharing/ entertainment platform. At least it was thought of as that before all the social media came out, except maybe Facebook. It's been turned more into a social media, but I think it's still a different category than Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Social media goes both ways. Yes people are lovely and that can be shown in social media but people are very terrible as well and social media is good for that
My wife and I live in Mallet Louisiana which is a small community located between Lawtell La and Eunice La. Our ancestors came here around 300 years ago. We both have family records dating back to the 1700’s. Everyone around here speaks Creole French in fact my wife’s grandparents only spoke Creole French. My dad’s first language is Creole French. We are Creole and Proud.
As being someone from Southern Louisiana that heard Creole French all my life was great seeing you go around everywhere and speak it with others. Thank you loved this! Wish I could have caught you while you were here.
It was fascinating that everywhere you went , you were the talk of the town so to speak. You could see the joy of everyone eager to tell their stories. To me this is one of my favorite videos of yours... it felt like you were connecting with everyone.
Dude this video really made me want to learn the language of my family. I've been trying on and off for years. Thanks for the inspiration and keep it up!!
The man in the Creole Table, defending the right to speak the language, is absolutely right! There is no law that can demand a common language, and if someone tried to pass one, our Constitutional rights are protected from interference, and that ties directly to culture and language. God Bless! Sliánte!
Woodrow Wilson did this in WWI. On my family’s case it killed off the Texas German dialect. That’s why you hear all these people talk about their grandparents. Those that learned as a native tongue were the last between WWI and WWII.
You could tell by the end of the video that your buddy was just having way too much fun rolling around doing that. Awesome video. Really wholesome people down there.
The word "Cajun" is a bastardization of the word "Acadian". The Acadians were French speaking settlers in what is now Maritime Canada. They were forcefully expelled from Canada during the Seven Years War (1754-1763) because of their French heritage. Over 11,000 were expelled and resettled in Louisiana.
We have a hunting/fishing camp in a very rural area of LA that isn't a part of cajun country. My dad was out fishing from the bank, and a very out of place car drove up to him. A visibly concerned looking couple got out and approached him. They were from France and lost! When my dad's started speaking French to them they were ecstatic. They spoke no english and the others they asked for help couldn't understand them. My dad gave them the rundown on how this wasn't a French area of the state and they were extremely lucky to find him. They talked for over an hour.
The table people didn't make me feel alone...they also thought you couldn't be 33 yr with 2 kids...😀 Ha-ha-ha-ha Your youthful appearance is QUITE STUNNING...👍. 🙋🌹🇺🇸✌️
Thanks EVPN for the sponsorship, go to www.expressvpn.com/xiaomanyc and find out how you can get 3 months of ExpressVPN free! French speakers, how much of the Creole in this video were you able to understand?
What did you do or use to loose all that weight ? Share secret thanks
Creole French languages emerged from the intense contact between French-speaking colonizers and enslaved African populations, driven by the need for communication in a multilingual and multicultural context. Over time, these languages evolved from simplified pidgins into complex and stable creoles, becoming integral parts of the cultural and national identities of their speakers.
Je suis français de Lorraine et je dois dire que les conversations sont plutôt compréhensibles. On sent que certaines tournures de phrases sonnent anglophones, c'est-à-dire qu'elles semblent être traduites de l'anglais vers le français mot pour mot. Ce n'est pas forcément la manière de s'exprimer qu'aurait un français vivant en métropole, puisque les expressions changent d'une région à l'autre. Cependant cela reste très compréhensible, surtout pour ce qui est du vocabulaire puisqu'il est exactement le même. Et je dois te féliciter pour tes efforts et ton travail en français !
You came to Louisiana, NO WAY!
Can someone explain why ari/xiaoman repeats what he's saying a lot? I understand it's a form of informing others you are thinking but is there any benefit to it? In some languages it's used as emphasis and not thinking, you'll just repeat the same thing twice, but he does this for every language. Or is it just stimulating the connection between motor cortex/prefrontal/temporal lobes to figure out what the next word is based on muscle memory?
I like how respectful the elders were when speaking Creole with you. Even though it took you a little second to get your words right they listened intently and were happy to help you learn more and were generally just so happy to see a younger person learn the language they so deeply care for. I think that's really sweet
I have a friend whose first language is Spanish. I am very insecure about speaking Spanish, because I know I’m not saying it “right”.
The way her face lights up when I try to say things encourages me greatly!
She’s helping me learn how to roll my r’s. It’s a work in progress.
Back in my misspent youth, I spent time in Europe. The face expressions you describe is exactly what I experienced when attempting to speak not just the national language, but the local dialect. The vast majority of people, even those in France, appreciate the attempt that is made. I think it's because doing so is a demonstration of respect for culture and history, something we don't necessarily do if we're native English speakers.
Loved that cook/waiter who was saying “I don’t speak much French” and then he just started talking up a storm in his awesome southern/cajun/creole French accent. So cool.
Modesty is something you will virtually never encounter in France, which endears me even more to these people
He's incredible! The sweetest man ever, and the food is so good, definitely a recommend if anyone heads through Breaux Bridge
Wooimabouttomakeanameformyselfhere
Came to say this haha
I knew someone was bound to make this comment.
Gambit, the true Cajun hero.
Youknowhowlongibeenwaitingforthis
I appreciate that you made a distinction between Cajun and Creole. A lot of people make the mistake of lumping them together and using the terms synonymously.
While there’s some degree of overlap, they’re each a separate thing that developed independently from each other and gave their own unique traits and history.
Just as many people brand themselves Cajun just because they were born in Louisiana. If you had a specific lineage traced back to Canada you can claim it. Given now with time that number is huge but there are many who claim that have nothing to do with the name.
The term Cajun came from a slaughtered word of Acadian, those who derived from Acadia. They were a certain group of French settlers that faced expulsion, some going north some going south.
Original "Cajuns" which is slang for the Acadians that were expelled from Canada and made their new home in Louisiana.
@@nerox2actually the originals Cajuns stated that their children were Creole bc only the persons “immigrants” were Cajun and not their Louisiana born children so no one in Louisiana should be using the term. It’s been alive and grown due to racism unfortunately
@@MissThomandrawhere did you get that information? Creole is a mix of race not a term of birth place. Specific linage of a certain group of people traced back to Canada can claim it. Never have I had family wise claim what you stated. I do agree that Cajun is a derogatory slang word from how it was derived but many races seem to take highly offensive words and try to make it lose its meaning. Another that is used is “coonass” which I always give someone the 🤨 when they referred to themself in this way but that’s going off topic.
@@MissThomandra you made the very error and contradicted the original posters statement. There is a clear distinction between Creole and the term Cajun. One being a mix of race the other a place of origin that was slaughtered by English.
The way those elders described hearing a word and being reminded of their parents or grandparents. Really beautiful
Right!? I honestly teared up. This is how I feel about German/Texas German.
When you hear that sound it can be so powerful. You feel like you’re with family even if they’re strangers.
So many Europeans don’t really understand and can even get offended if you say “I’m Texas German” or something like that.
I think one of the forgotten tragedies of WWI was Woodrow Wilson’s campaign against anyone not speaking English. We lost immeasurable amounts of beautiful culture when we killed off our separate languages.
Every one at least speak English? Ok. But I hope we learn from our mistake and push to have people speak the language of their heritage too.
When you keep the culture/tradition alive like that it makes you feel like those loved ones are still there with you.
About 6 year's ago. I was working for a lady and she spoke to her son in Polish and what she said took me back to when I was a boy talking to my grandmother in the living room. She spoke Russian but it was close enough to trigger it. Моя бабушка. Я лобет те.
@@attrezzopoxTexas German??? Wth
"We ate all of the food, already Y'all can go home". I lived in Japan for 6 years, and returning home made me really appreciate this sort of light banter that you find in America. The ability to crack a joke to a complete stranger and have a full conversation having never met, then get invited to their weekly shindig. So awesome! I certainly took it for granted for many years.
To me that's horrible. Don't talk to me haha!
@@Nekotaku_TV no one asked lol
@@marblelemonade76 Cringe and irrelevant. Say that to yourself then.
@@marblelemonade76
Dude, that was the light banter the commenter was talking about. Lighten up man
That’s why I love being from Louisiana, people genuinely like talking to each other.
"The waiver is gonna say we're not responsible for your addiction and that you have the right to brag about us." What a great line!
Cajun people be witty as hell
That got me giggling like crazy 😂
My wife is from that area (15 minutes from breaux bridge) and I've met some of the coolest people over there
@@cameronhall0921 probably ate some of the best food there as well
@@imadequate3376 Louisiana is the only place I will trust gas station food, if that tells you anything
I love all of your videos, but this one really hit my heart. The elders speaking of language and how it stirs up memories and physically feeling it. It's culture, it's in our DNA. As a Native American "Indian" who wants to learn languages, I feel this in my soul. The lovely women who spoke of community. Doesn't matter what you look like, you all come together... that's what it's like with us. We live on a Reservation, but it's really a community. This is what and why people don't move away. If they do, they often come home. It's a beautiful thing. Thank you for sharing and thank you to the people that share with you! Louisiana is a beautiful place with beautiful people and culture.
Dude, the invite for the 5am meet with the old timers? How could you not!
😂😂😂
If he was anything like my grandpa was you'd go there and they'd be closed. Then the next time you saw him and asked him what was up with the "5am meeting" he'd about piss him self laughing that you really went looking for them.
You best be there at 4:30 or you're really late
Only time I’m up at 5am is when I accidentally take a nap at 8:30pm that turns into a full blown sleep
I can assure you, those old timers were there religiously!! It’s part of staying alive and having a purpose with somewhere to be.
This is the America I love to see. Not the shit that’s going on lately. Keep up the great content guys.
Yeah the America built on slavery is so b lovable
The shit that’s going on lately - that crowd that’s angry about everything - thinks that everyone should speak English and all other languages shouldn’t be spoken because of ultranationalist beliefs. They don’t take into account these languages were here before we were actually a country
❤
I agree...so great to see all these interactions...Can we move there!
Ah yes lets be blind to our flaws. That’s helps us develop 😂
I’m a Cajun from south Louisiana, and this post makes me so happy. Thank you!
when I was growing up, kids from “down the bayou” had to be taught English as a second language.
If you didn't say it, I'd have already known from your name lol.
Yesss many people down the river have to learn English to interact with other parishes. I myself grew up knowing Spanish and English since I grew up north LA but many times it's hard to conversate with other ppl from different parishes. Each parish has a different dialect
Yeah 😂 my parents were one of them, due to this they never taught us Cajun French. I’ll definitely learn soon though
I was about to say the same thing about Chauvin! My girlfriend is from Florida and she finds it amusing that I can clock someone as being from Louisiana just from their last name in many cases
Ouin, de ton nom je le savais que t'es de la-bas! Je viens d'un pays qui est a nord de vous autres, mais je ne vais pas le nommer.
Are you able to understand that at all? I'm really curious!
9:56- MR. WILTZ?? my middle school french teacher! definitely did not expect to see him in this video. love this!!
Love the elders sit there patiently with him as he’s learning to speak this new language, shows how much they really appreciate the effort
I live a couple of states over and know a Cajun guy. Just making the effort ask about the culture or just learning one or two phrases will go a long way with them.
@@NickBVaughtas with any culture. Something as simple as words & food bring us closer together and break down barriers that we put up. Truly shows how human & alike we are. The smile is universal communication. Americans don’t realize how many other people learn 2-3 languages before even picking up English. Wish they had made that standard in grade school.
@@josevaladez1751 Agreed.
It brought me to tears. This video was so special
@@NickBVaught Cajuns are good folks! I live in Alabama and we love visits from our Cajun neighbors.
“Names Remy LeBeau. Le diable blanc. But you can call me the Gambit.”
😂😂😂”imbouta makka name for myself here!”
@@oddzeke”youjustmakesurepeopleknowwhathappenedheretoday”
@@Dctctxfound my people with this humor 😭😂
great another normie quoting memes. Really shows who’s fake fans
@@koba2095 it’s not that deep at all. Go get a hobby if it is.
haven’t seen his channel in a while and bro looking FIT DAMN
Ozempic is taking over
@@Andrew-qm5imnah his eyelids would look more droopy
Ozempic is like a plague
I almost don’t recognize him . Just be careful as the OZempic can wreck your gut. If he lost weight in another way, great
@@Andrew-qm5im its not that hard to lose a little chub bros, he looks way healthier and hes not that big of a guy so it wouldnt take that much time/effort
My wife and I are originally from here, but left 15 years ago. On my second viewing I realized that's my wife's uncle at 8:35. He owns the building that hosted the French round table.
I am a 47 yo french canadian from Quebec and I understood 100% of your conversations and this whole process moved me. The resilience of the french speaking is touching and its perenniality is challenged everywhere in the world. Thank you for shedding some light on it. Merci du fond du coeur.
It's not challenged in Europe
@@spongeboblover7052 That's what you think... just spend a day with Parisian teenagers. They'll change your mind.
You should come down here for our Festival de Louisiane if you ever get the chance. It's a week long festival in Lafayette LA where we bring bands and artists etc from all of the French speaking areas of the world together. It's SO FUN and the food is delicious!!! It's usually around the last week in April, so it's not too hot yet. 😊
@@TheJuliousnessBonsoir, je suis le jeune parisien dont vous parlez et je ne peux qu’approuver !
Merci pour ces beaux mots c’est plus que nécessaire en ce moment, bonne soirée !
@@jungkais2737 tout d’abord, enchanté! 😁 c’est évident pas probable que la France se mette à parler anglais un jour, mais la déclinaison de la qualité du français est réelle et même aujourd’hui. Merci pour votre commentaire! 👏🏻
As a 50y/o native of Louisiana and a family rich in cajun heritage, thank you very much f9r this video, Sadly the cajun language in our family started to dwidle with my grandmother's passing. I try to speak as much as I can but as you know, its only spoken in small, rural communities now and our state is absolutely horrible at teaching and keeping our language alive. Like many languages throughout history, it's up to people to keep their heritage alive. You do one hell of a job promting that, it's extremely admirable. Thanks again for all you do,
It’s hard to keep languages alive
Keep it alive! Appreciate videos like this!
please keep using it, my family stopped speaking polish and after that we lost most of our culture. I don't want the same thing happening to you. bonne chance a vous!
They had started teaching Creole language in schools back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, did they stop teaching it?
Best food ever in Cajun country!!!
Go to Kinder, Louisiana, where we speak Coushatta. That is the language of my people, the Coushatta Tribe, or Koasati in my language. Unfortunately, it’s a dying language. Only some elders still speak it. My grandparents spoke the language, but they never taught my mother. Tribal members made a dictionary in the 1980s, and we have an online dictionary on our website. I am trying to learn to be a vessel for our culture. If you have time, you can visit our tribe. Our nice hotel displays our history and handmade pine needle baskets. Being american I hope you can also show some love to the beautiful Indigenous people and culture of this land.
I grew up in Oakdale but moved to Lake Charles after I graduated. I pass through Kinder bi weekly to go visit my family, even worked at the casino a long time ago!
Please don’t lose your language.
I THINK he may have done a video in which he speaks Coushatta. Try checking his list of videos over the past year or two. I could be wrong but the language name seems to be ringing a bell in the dim recesses of my brain….
@@arwenevenstar0761 you might be thinking of Cree
Evangeline parishe has a lot of old heads that still speak this language including a lot of my relatives it is really sad it’s dying off💯💔
The part with the elders was so heartwarming to listen to. The stories about the whole area being a family was so touching. Love all of this but that was my fave part 😊
the server in the restaurant "my french is not good", proceeds to flawlessly explain the menu in french! hahaha such a humble man! ton français est super bon, Y'as pas de probleme icitte mon ami!
That’s Grover, he’s a good man and friend and he is hilarious and so much fun to party with..
Did anyone catch the name of the book Grover was mentioning? I think it got cut off in editing! Interested in reading it!
That was my favorite part of the video, that guy is too funny.
@@rickhaas58
I believe he was talking about Creoles of South Louisiana: Three Centuries Strong by Elista Istre and just had the author mixed up, because to my knowledge Herman Fuselier has only written about the typology of Creoles in his journalism, not his novel length books (Fuselier DID write a review of Three Centuries Strong for the Lafayette Daily Advertiser though!)
Man these videos are a true hope for humanity, everyone seemed very nice and welcoming. This is the real America expressed in a video!
How about we all drop this "real America" shit from our vocabulary
A New Yorker… I’m also live in NY
I felt the same exact way watching this too
@@SharinganMan nah
Yeah, the media doesn't want us to see people getting along. 😂
This is the side of America that I love...humble and appreciation for everyone's roots and culture.
I don't care if we're talking white black or brown but everywhere I look in the world most poor people tend to be kind hearted
Southern 🙌🏼
@@rustyshackelford👍
litterally this is America, the shit you see on the news is extreme and rare or in crime ridden areas. The rest of the country is just good people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds
@@rustyshackelford don't act like acceptance is a common southern trait I've lived her my entire life I know the truth of it
@@KorokHaze93 Don't act like acceptance is common in the big "progressive but actually regressive" cities either.
It's so refreshing and beautiful to see people who wish to carry on their family and culture's traditions. Language is such an incredible tool that humans have available to them.
No way no way no way! I can't believe you came to my backyard! Such a huge fan! Thank you for visiting!
That's how I feel too! I screamed at my husband that he was in The Pig (what we call the grocery store Piggly Wiggly) and Chicken On the Bayou!!! Both 5 minutes from my house!
@@aimee6420crazy where is that because I live close to piggly wiggly
@@liamsmith1371 Chicken On the Bayou is across from the Little Capital where Landry's Seafood used to be
@@aimee6420I'm so glad I found your comment. Unfortunately the creator didn't add the locations in his description. Another food place added. 🎉
I havent heard anyone mention a piggly wiggly in years! I worked at one in Old Hickory, TN. When i tell people about it they look at me so confused lol.@aimee6420
😭😭😭😭😭 The first elderly man who interacted with Xiaoma made me so happy. This is what growing up in a small town is like a lot of the times. You're just walking or standing around minding your own business and some old guy comes up to you just to make a joke and start conversations. "We ate it all, there's no more" was such a warm familial joke. The kind you fake laugh at because they're laughing so genuinely at their own joke you can't help but join in.
As a Louisiana native and also someone of whom lost my Creole culture and tongue,
Id like to say thank you for showing the world just a peak of what it was like here once.
😢 I miss tjose days
Honey, a "peak" is the top of a mountain. A quick look is a "peek". (Just helping you a little with your l'Anglais, since your native tongue is Creole French.)
Dude, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your tongue. At least you can type out your thoughts here to communicate. 😮
@@TeamTigerAdv I hope that's sarcasm haha
Ive been waatchingyour channel off and on, and wanted to say you're such an inspiration. Wish there were more like you to share with the younger generations no matter the language, it's just absolutely beautiful.
I never would have thought that Xiaomanyc would come to Louisiana for a video.
Much love from NOLA and my hometown of Thibadaux, Louisiana! ❤️⚜️
The surname LaGrange is a French Creole surname. French Creoles are white Louisianians of French and/or Québécois heritage. Not to be confused with non-white Creoles such as Creoles of Color (mixed race) or Afro Creoles. There are other white Creoles too like Spanish Creoles (Isleños, Malagueños in Louisiana), German Creoles (with surnames such as Folse, Trosclair, Haydel, Toups etc) and even the real Cajuns (Louisiana Acadians) were called Acadian Creoles before the term Cajun spread in the 1960’s-1970’s (and subsequently adopted by many non-Acadians today, it’s a long story).
The early settlers of colonial Louisiana were from France and Québec. But there’s an additive to your surname. Although it was a colonial Louisiana surname, it was from Mobile. The coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama was once part of the Louisiana colony and had French Creole populations. When the British invaded Mobile, most of the French Creoles fled to south Louisiana and you’re a descendant of them.
We have Grosjeans & some other French names
From Raceland and Thibadoux is spelled Thibodaux and go there frequently as i live in Cut Off
It’s Thibodaux! Not thibadoux
@@albatrosseagle8798 autocorrect must have corrected it without me knowing.
The Cajun and Creole people are freaking awesome. A lot of hard working people man… Hard working and community loving folk.
Work hard and Party hard. I'm not Cajun but most of my cousins are. I try to make the trek home to Louisiana at the end of every February, though I usually try to wait till after Mardi Gras, because travel is cheaper. I go because there are like 6 or 7 birthdays in the family in 2 weeks and there's usually a BIIIIG crawfish boil around that time. 2025 Mardi Gras will be in early March so I might still be there but I'll be far enough out in the woods. I'll probably only be able to hear the Banjos 🤣
You honestly look really healthy, not saying you weren’t in previous videos but you can tell you’re putting in some type of work
Noticed that too.
he's getting jacked brah
I noticed her was a lot less round
I was 100% thinking that too lol, glad others noticed
He’s getting shredded
Hi there! Hope your baby girl is doing great and thriving. I loved your episode about becoming a dad. So sweet. ❤
Please do more videos In Louisiana I love seeing our culture shared it doesn’t get enough love
Bruh looks like he has been hitting the gym. Good job man. Stay healthy to keep up the good work.
It’s more impressive when you realize half his content is eating Chinese food at multiple restaurants in a day
@12:12 absolutely LOVE her reasoning its the same reason why I actively try my best to keep learning more of my native tongue
That's crazy, I've been watching you for years and you end up in my neck of the woods! Hope you enjoyed your stay!
Louisiana folks, what a beautiful community of people you have, i loved seeing servers sit down to take orders, and that it was just one big conversation everyone joined. I felt such a longing to belong there. ❤
Thank you sha come anytime to Acadiana 🤟🏻
That was the biggest culture shock for me moving around in the army, there's hardly any hospitality like southern louisiana hospitality in the north
Most people are quite friendly here.
Haha, I actually cried listening cause I miss Louisiana and the south so much. I'm really glad you highlighted this. People don't know enough about Louisiana and its culture.
i don't ever say things like this, but i'm sure this channel is one of the most important things on the internet. i really hope he keeps this going for the long run. imagine where this will be in ten years.
I loved watching this video. I’m French Canadian from Northern Ontario. It’s interesting to hear the differences in Creole vs Cajun. I could understand the Cajun more easily. With the Creole I sometimes had to go back and listen again or felt myself saying, speak more slowly! I could figure it out most of the time but the Cajun was more easily understandable and the ‘Acadien’ influence was still evident. This was a real treat. Also, the informal social exchanges and sense of community really reminded me of my roots in a small town in the far North of Ontario in a single industry town (pulp and paper; others close by mining). Thanks for sharing.
Where I grew up, we have the formal standard French we speak and the slang or what we call ‘joual’ French. And you would adjust the type of French you speak depending on the situation. Also, people tended to mix in anglicisms. So, for example, a lot of verbs in French end with ‘er’. So instead of using the correct stationner for parking a car, they would say ‘parker’ with the er pronounced like a long a. And instead of automobile, the standard word, they would say ‘char’. So Parker le char! A lot of bastardized words. Some years back, I was charting on the unit at the hospital and the respirologist from England was going to go in to do a consult on a patient from Northern Ontario. I had already done an assessment with him and knew that his French was very very slang. I offered to go in with him to translate and he was adamant that he was fluent in French, uh, yah…Parisien French. I let him go for a laugh and he was back out in 2 minutes and then I went in with him. He could not understand much of what the guy said. It wasn’t just the accent but the vocabulary too. Altogether quite amusing 😂😂
That Creole table was a really beautiful moment. I like how they were all connecting with their heritage to honor and remember their families like that.
It really warmed my heart.
❤
Xiao casually doing what people struggle with.
New Languages? In the bag.
World Travel? Part of the routine.
Weight Loss? Dedication paying off.
Keep inspiring, Xiao!
He's such a cool dude
just call him his english name lol
@@chrisvibz4753he is introducing himself as xiao. What’s wrong with it?
havent watched a video of his in a while and im shocked at how good he looks ! hes lost a lot
Dude's on A game, big ups
Thank you for giving us a platform. Hopefully the youth we realize the importance & keep our culture/language alive .
I read it has been approved for use in schools to preserve it as it was an endangered language.
@@deekelley891whole time watching and reading these comments i was wondering why it wasn’t being mandated in schools! glad to hear it is hopefully it keeps the language and culture alive
@@broidk8291 because it's useless lol. sure it's a cool language, but it is completely useless for everyday life and will probably never come in handy.
@@allen.9 if you aren’t a part of the culture, then cares what “use” that YOU think something that’s a part of it has?
@@MattR8605 how does that refute my point? Because I’m part of the culture, now I’ll all of a sudden be getting job offers?
We need more of this. Mixing our cultures and our languages and our love for each other. Great video really. ❤ beautiful to see.
These sort of videos really make me smile, when all we hear is how divided our country is, but then you go out and meet people and see how kind and unified we can be
Amen!
It shows how much the media is responsible for driving a wedge between us all.
That's why I don't watch the "news" or use Facebook lol. Just riles everyone up and makes them miserable.
I'm American, but have lived half of my life in France, and I teach a class here about Franco-American Relations. I will try to use this in my course the next time, because we do discuss Missouri (Paw Paw) French and the Grand Dérangement which led to Créole/Cajun French in Louisiana. Merci beaucoup, for continually challenging yourself to learn new languages, which, via your channel, helps keep many that are in danger of disappearing, alive.
Xioama you’re in really great shape man! Always loved seeing you and love the journey you’re on.
I’m so bummed to know you were finally in my neck of the woods and I didn’t come down to try and meet you. My grandmother was from Austria but grew up in the bayous of Louisiana. I can understand very little of the language but I have a great appreciation for you coming down here and learning my ancestors language.
And you have to admit that was some of the best food you’ve ever eaten in your life!!
It’s so cool to see Cajun/Creole culture and language on this channel!
It’s all just Creole. The culture, the cuisine, the people, regardless of race. Cajuns are white Louisiana Creoles. There are several white Louisiana Creole groups like French Creoles, Spanish Creoles, German Creoles and Acadian Creoles (those with predominant Acadian heritage). Many of these have mixed with each other today and possess multiple ancestries.
Likewise, there are also a few non-white Creole groups like Creoles of Color (Euro/black mixed race), Métis Créole (Euro/Amerind mixed race), Afro-Creoles (black) and Filipino Creoles (their ancestors arrived to Louisiana aboard Spanish galleon ships in the 1700’s).
As a Canadian, many of us are used to some sort of "Frenglish" depending on where we live. That said, much of that Creale was comprehensible. Been loving your content for years now! Keep up the linguistic adventures!
I went on a French immersion trip with school that was based out of Jausier in the Alps, but the city of Arnaudville was the gateway city. The people that live there and around Breaux Bridge are important to the long life that I firmly believe Cajun and Creole will continue to have as languages. The Ubaye Valley program doesn’t teach Cajun French, but rather that even in France there are patois and dialects. The people of South Louisiana are its protectors, me included. The native Louisiana tribes need the same love and tender care for their languages, now more than ever. This is an awesome video that scratches a facetious and hard-hitting topic. Thank you as always Xiaoma 💕
I just love how it’s so much like family. How yall sit together. That always makes me smile brings back why I love this so much
Fantastic video ! As a French I found it pretty interesting to hear this kind of Creole French. I knew French was spoken there but I’ve never heard it before now. Merci !
Did you understand everything that was said?
@@LoneStarRay globally yes, I understood the conversation. Only the Cajun French part was more difficult for me to understand, the subtitles helped me here.
@@NykkoleoN i gotcha, thanks man!
Someone came to my school halfway through this past year who only spoke French creole. Everyone was very curious about it since we’d never heard of it before and many people used google translate to try to speak to him haha
I’m glad to know more about this language! Sad to hear it’s endangered
I'm from southwest Louisiana and I remember my grandparents speaking cajun french. They mostly spoke it when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. I never learned french, except for a few sayings and cuss words. I wish I had learned. It makes me sad that we are loosing that part of our culture and that my children will likely never get to hear many people talk in cajun french. Thanks for coming to south Louisiana and making this video. It reminds me of my grandparents.
Most of the French I know is slang and swears because same 😂
My grandparents and great-grandmothers would do the same thing. Now they're all gone, and the only French that I know is continental French. But I could understand some of what they said in the video (the subtitles helped).
I love the fact that the language was passed all the down and it’s going to keep going!! ❤
Im from opelousas and work in Cecilia. So good to see South Louisiana culture shown in a positive light. Thanks for coming down and experience our culture.
Holy shit I’m scrolling through the comment section. I’m from Opelousas too!
@@Milokissavlk From Lafayette but graduated from Westminster!
This is bad ass. My family is creole and to see you in Louisiana speaking Cajun French is phenomenal bro! Big ups 💪🏽
As a Louisiana Creole(this includes cajun people) person seeing this pop up on my notification has made me so happy, our French program here for school sucks. Instead of teaching us our local French, they teach us standard French, and call it proper French, implying that Louisiana Creole and Louisiana French are improper to speak! I’m so happy that you’re talking about this. Thank you so much, for bringing awareness to my culture
Some other fun facts for y’all
The Louisiana government made it illegal to speak Louisiana French in public and school alongside Louisiana creole, because of the Americanization and being forced to speak English, we developed our own vernacular dialect(CajVE) of English called Cajun English, it actually has a lot of things similar to what is called Ebonics or African-American English(AAVE). That’s why you will see a lot of the older generations being able to speak French, but not the younger generations as it was considered, shameful to teach your children in French
Salut! En tant que français, je trouve aussi cela dommage. Nous perdons toute pluralité et diversité.
En métropole aussi, les langues régionales, les patois se perdent...
Pire encore , les jeunes ne parlent plus correctement le français , ils s'en fichent totalement.
La régression culturelle est mondiale et je suis persuadé que c'est voulu par les élites dirigeantes. Les analphabètes sont une aubaine pour la manipulation de masse.
Bon courage et bonne continuation.
European French are the one culture I know of that won't accept that dialects exist (I am from Quebec).
Its very strange compared to the general acceptance of different forms of English. For instance Americans wouldn't say that Jamaicans speak english incorrectly lol, its a different form of the language. Though French people do this for any other form of the language.
My grandmother was old enough to see her native language banned by the school. Very sad, and it made her so ashamed of it that she didn’t pass on the French to her kids. That side of the family has been in Cajun Country since their expulsion from Nova Scotia, too.
@@TH-camhandle579yep, as I’m not fully fluent, kind of like the people in the video I understand more than I can speak. I have had mixed and varying results on the times I have speaking the bit of French I’ve known to other people, including French Europeans. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of better reactions from people from North America and Africa then I have from European. Also fun fact due to the language being banned(it was made illegal to be taught in schools and spoken in public, and this only ended in the 70s) because of this us, Cajun and Creole people developed our own vernacular form of English that has a lot of similarities to Ebonics or African-American vernacular English
@@the_rachel_sam I have a very similar situation, my family is from Opelousas, so depending who you ask it is or is it in Acadiana but you know most people do say it is. I’m Gen Z, so my mawmaw(my great grandmother) had taught me some when I was young but always encourage me only to speak it with my family, anyways she ended up developing Alzheimer’s and never fully taught me yet nor did she teach my grandparents or my father out of shame. I’m legitimately still mad and upset that our language was banned, there’s a certain level of sadness that I have not been able to put a word to it
Wow. Everyone is so friendly. So sweet and warm. Merci!
I am from Mauritius island located in the Indian Ocean on the East (correction I mentioned West before) of Africa. We speak French creole here and it sounds alike, awesome!! Mo bien content, merci!! I love all your videos! 🤘😃
You mean East of Africa
@@JJ-qd9yl yeah East Africa sorry 😅 The African Continent is on my West 🤣 Thank you for the rectification! 🙏☮️
It does sound a lot like Mauritian Creole indeed. Like, Mauritian with a Canadian accent…
@@j3nj3n333 no problem! I’m East African from Djibouti so I know a bit of french too
Do you understand other creoles? Seychelles, Haiti, St Lucia?
As a french guy this is very interesting to see and hear , i can understand the sentences but only with help of the subtitles ...without , its just words or part of sentences
Great vid!
Oui oui. Mdr
that is how cajun french is. French without any grammer almost. I am from louisiana grew up in French immersion, we had teachers from france, belgium, even canada. We were taught proper french and I can barely speak with the cajuns who speak cajun french.
@@jacobeccles5127 c’est pas grave!
@@jacobeccles5127It’s actually not Cajun French, it’s officially called Louisiana French. Reason being, it’s not a dialect from Acadie, it’s a mixed dialect formed from various dialects across the French speaking world such as from France, Québec, Acadie and the French Caribbean. There’s also borrowed words from Spaniards, Latin America, the Spanish Caribbean, Native Americans and West Africans. It’s a gumbo of a French dialect, absolutely not Acadian.
Same there
Now that's America! After watching too much news your videos always remind me what people are really like. All over the world most people are kind and accepting. ❤️
Thanks for shining some light here in Louisiana ❤️
Holy crap! You went to Trudy’s down the road from my house!!! Bayou boeuf is one of the best spots to speak Cajun French with the locals!
May I ask what town this was please? That fried chicken looks amazing!
Being from New Orleans area, I loved seeing this. You’re welcome to come back anytime. Just remember our humidity is brutal.
This right here 😂😂😂
laissez le bon temps rouler!!! ... thank you for going to Louisiana! our grandparent's generation had the French beat out of them. there was also stable dialects of Louisiana Spanish until the 60s
Let the good times roll!!!!
Spanish is still spoken in saint Bernard parish,it's just only 30 people who do sadly
@@Dragoncam13😮
I’m a descendant of Louisiana French speakers and Louisiana Spanish speakers. I can speak them both pretty well.
@@Dragoncam13Isleño Spanish will die out in a generation or two. Unlike the French language in Louisiana, there is no preservation efforts to revive the language among young isleños and only the elderly and some middle aged people speak it fluently. I can speak a good amount of it, because it was passed to me unlike most. But there are not enough speakers for one and it’s no longer being passed on. Similar to what’s happening to Louisiana French but, in a more dire condition. Much like Louisiana Creole is, but even worse. Isleños will wound up like Italian-Americans in the future, knowing just words or phrases only.
Love this video. Both sides of my family,mom and dad, were from Eunice, Louisiana. All spoke the language fluently. All my aunts,except one, and all uncles are gone. Thank God my two brothers and my 1st. cousins in Eunice can speak the language. It is definitely starting to disappear. I find it confusing when we go home for a visit and i hear the beautiful accents but they cant say 5 words in creole or cajun. Then i be like, "well ha you gon talk like dat but caint talk French eh?"
As someone from Louisiana it’s beautiful to see other people get to experience our deep culture and be able to spread it to others thank you for makin dis video, Merci du fond du coeur
I've watched a lot of videos like this from different youtubers and the thing that strikes me the most is just how much friendlier people become when you learn their language and try to speak it. It's such an easy way to break the ice and it just brightens up their day. I love these videos.
to some extent, I traveled across France solo with no money and speaking french fluently definitely helped and it was the best experience of my life and had the most interesting conversations ever. How ever despite speaking German and English fluently too my adventures there were total disasters. I think french people are much hospitable and generous by nature. especially if you live Paris circle.
Cajun food is so good. Gotta appreciate Louisiana for being able to cook up a mean dish!
That's pretty much most cultures that can make amazing food.
With the exception of the British
@@richardrose9943 fr, you cant tell me your favorite food is beans and toast🧍♀
No such thing as Cajun food. Acadians integrated into Louisiana when they arrived, adopted the cuisine and culture of Louisiana and added to it like everyone else did. In the Louisiana colony, there was no such thing as a Cajun. There were only Creoles and Native Americans. Creoles being the non-indigenous population of any race including whites, blacks, mixed race people and Filipinos. Creole also came to signify the meaning of local. As in local food, local culture, local people, local produce, local products, local livestock etc. thus, the traditional name of Louisiana’s traditional local cuisine and culture that is rooted in it’s colonial past is called Creole. Louisiana’s non-indigenous peoples of any race are Creoles. Its cuisine is Creole. It’s music is Creole. The Louisiana born children of the Acadian settlers were not called Cajuns in the Louisiana colony, they were called Creoles. Acadian Creoles to be exact. Cajun is a term that was once a derogatory term akin to poor Acadian redneck. But some folks decided to flip it into an identity and it spread in the 1960’s-1970’s among mixed origin peoples. It’s a recent phenomenon.
Attaching Cajun to everything these days is a plague on Louisiana’s culture, cuisine and identity. Not even Cajuns today are actual Acadians, but are mixed origin peoples with ancestry from all over France and the colonial French empire and many even have Spanish, German, English/Irish and/or Italian admixture. This is evidenced by surnames, immigration records and family trees. It’s time folks face these facts. Look at the foods of Acadie, it doesn’t resemble south Louisiana cuisine. Yet we can find foods in France, Spain, the French and Spanish Caribbean, Latin America, Native America and Africa that resemble south Louisiana’s cuisine. Why? Because our cuisine is a mix of all these influences. No such thing as Cajun food.
As a German, I've unfortunately never been able to try it (yet), but anytime I see it anywhere, it looks sooo good. Really hope to get my hands on authentic Cajun food at some point.
Great episode! I live and was born in Louisiana. This episode went just how I expected, friendly people, great food, and cultural mixing where everyone gets along and is friendly! That’s Louisiana! If only our roads were good😫
My grandpa, rest him, much like the older gent you spoke to last (in the grey shirt) couldn't speak a lick of English until he was taught how in school. The older cook that spoke to you about the menu reminded me of him when he spoke and it brought me to tears. I sadly don't speak Creole or Cajun, though most of my older family members did, and this journey had me nodding and laughing the whole time. (Born Louisianian, currently living in Ohio) Thanks so much for this, Ari - I hope to see more on your trip there and hope you very much enjoyed yourself. Us Lousianians are a .. special breed of people. :D
Similar situation for me. My dad’s mother and father didn’t learn English until later in life, they were forced to learn English. I miss them
as an african american creole speaker, this video meant everything !
I used to speak creole with my grandfather! Its really amazing you are learning this! It makes me so happy to see people still speaking it!
This was awesome to watch. I've never been so hungry for Creole cooking than I am right now after watching this! It all looks so good. The French dialects are so diverse. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Oh Ari, this is awesome….I always love your videos, but this one is very special. The south, in general, just has a different way of talking. I am from South Georgia, raised in North Florida and living in South Alabama for the last 25 years. I am 60. I just really love what you do.
I can't begin to imagine how great it would feel to be as linguistically gifted as you.... absolutely incredible.
He's not though. He learns what he needs in the moment. Five yrs from now he won't be able to just sit and converse freely in any language he's "speaking" now. It won't stick
@@Angel-rq3piWho cares? It’s still impressive
Maybe not certain languages, but he's fluent in many @@Angel-rq3pi
@@XxSeeTrebbssxXpoint is, he’s not linguistically gifted, at least not more than you. Don’t be discouraged, anyone can learn a language to broken conversational level with a few months if you try.
Give it a shot and you won’t regret it
@@Siduch.He learned Mandarin in 1 year without accent. I would say he is pretty gifted
Louisiana has some of the best food on the planet! The people are so very kind too.
best food worst laws and terrible taxes.
@@johnjones3332 it's illegal to drive barefoot. I'm not sure how true that is but I was always told that growing up lol
Mais sha thank ya!
@@malyntaylor7376Das a joke mais
So true
Best video you’ve done. Hurts my heart that such a beautiful culture is fading away. God bless
Things like this is why I don't believe social media is healthy. When you deal with people in person 90% of them are just lovely.
But this is social media. And we're only exposed to it because of the internet. These interactions can be uplifting and inspiring for millions of people who will never be able to travel to this part of the world. Social media isn't the problem. The elite want you to think the problem is us talking to each other online. They want us to abandon the ability to communicate with each other in unrestricted ways. Don't fall for it.
@chrisquiett1776 Just like anything, Social Media is only as unhealthy as you make it. Especially nowadays! Because of a little thing called algorithms, you get fed what you wish to consume. In other words... You will find what you're lookin for without even realizing your looking for it. A good trick to find out where your head really is, is to pay attention to what pops up in your "feed". Your FYP is only based off of what you show interest in by clicking on it or searching for it. And that goes for everything! Facebook, TikTok, TH-cam, Netflix, Hulu... literally everything! Social media is like a drug that's alive and chasing those who aren't careful. You can take control back by being intentional about what you consume.
@tux1968 TH-cam isn't really "social media" though. It's a video sharing/ entertainment platform. At least it was thought of as that before all the social media came out, except maybe Facebook. It's been turned more into a social media, but I think it's still a different category than Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Social media goes both ways. Yes people are lovely and that can be shown in social media but people are very terrible as well and social media is good for that
@@Trahzythanks for socialy engaging through online media :-)
My wife and I live in Mallet Louisiana which is a small community located between Lawtell La and Eunice La. Our ancestors came here around 300 years ago. We both have family records dating back to the 1700’s. Everyone around here speaks Creole French in fact my wife’s grandparents only spoke Creole French. My dad’s first language is Creole French. We are Creole and Proud.
I'm from Eunice podna. Who's ya mom and them?
@@TheForeskinwalker I am a Simien.
@@TheForeskinwalkerI'm from Abbeville. Who's ya Daddy? I'm a Gautreaux 😊
I'm from Abbeville. Eunice is named after my cousin. 😊
I’m just a local New Orleanian chuckling that TH-cam people have no idea where Lawtell and Eunice are located.
As being someone from Southern Louisiana that heard Creole French all my life was great seeing you go around everywhere and speak it with others. Thank you loved this! Wish I could have caught you while you were here.
It was fascinating that everywhere you went , you were the talk of the town so to speak. You could see the joy of everyone eager to tell their stories. To me this is one of my favorite videos of yours... it felt like you were connecting with everyone.
The LA Creole Table was amazing to see those people brought together by a language.
Dude this video really made me want to learn the language of my family. I've been trying on and off for years. Thanks for the inspiration and keep it up!!
brother becomes a ghoul at 5:20
I thought I was the only one that was going to say sum abt it 😂
One of the many reasons I love to visit Louisiana. Wonderful people ❤
So nice your great friend showing you around. All those you met such friendly folks. Hang on to your traditions. Loved it!
The man in the Creole Table, defending the right to speak the language, is absolutely right! There is no law that can demand a common language, and if someone tried to pass one, our Constitutional rights are protected from interference, and that ties directly to culture and language. God Bless! Sliánte!
Woodrow Wilson did this in WWI.
On my family’s case it killed off the Texas German dialect.
That’s why you hear all these people talk about their grandparents. Those that learned as a native tongue were the last between WWI and WWII.
But you’re right brother. It was a terrible mistake.
You could tell by the end of the video that your buddy was just having way too much fun rolling around doing that. Awesome video. Really wholesome people down there.
As a Louisianian. Thank you. I guaranteed you made these folks’ day.
And ours 😊❤
That Creole Table meeting is such a heart warming experience to witness. Culture runs deep!
I live down in Houma, absolutely impressive video man. So happy to see Louisiana get some recognition.
same
It's so awesome you came to louisiana to learn!
The word "Cajun" is a bastardization of the word "Acadian". The Acadians were French speaking settlers in what is now Maritime Canada. They were forcefully expelled from Canada during the Seven Years War (1754-1763) because of their French heritage. Over 11,000 were expelled and resettled in Louisiana.
i learned thiis from good eats XD love alton brown
Truth! That is the history of the Cajun language. Those folks settled in the swamps and it morphed into its own with regional influences.
Thanks!
Not true I am Cajun both sides.. my ancestors did not settle in the swamps
Acadian
A cadian
A cajun
We have a hunting/fishing camp in a very rural area of LA that isn't a part of cajun country. My dad was out fishing from the bank, and a very out of place car drove up to him. A visibly concerned looking couple got out and approached him. They were from France and lost! When my dad's started speaking French to them they were ecstatic. They spoke no english and the others they asked for help couldn't understand them. My dad gave them the rundown on how this wasn't a French area of the state and they were extremely lucky to find him. They talked for over an hour.
That's really great. Glad they found your dad, too.
This seemed like such a fun trip. Everyone you met was awesome. And your teacher seemed to be having fun showing you all the great food.
mind boggling that they came so close to my hometown his teacher grew up like 15 minutes from me
The table people didn't make me feel alone...they also thought you couldn't be 33 yr with 2 kids...😀 Ha-ha-ha-ha Your youthful appearance is QUITE STUNNING...👍. 🙋🌹🇺🇸✌️