After just arriving in New Orleans this week, I'm working as quickly as possible and things are coming together with the cooperation of several individuals who live and work in New Orleans. These individuals work hard to keep the music of Louisiana alive in New Orleans, to continue its reputation in the music world as a crib of experimentation and development.
On a personal level, I admit that I'm in a bit of a state of disbelief that I've made it this far and in spite of this marathon pace of research, both in the books and now out on the "terrain" (the scientific term), I find that I'm sifting through memories flooding back of the time I spent here when I was just a hatchling, fresh out of high school and my first two years of university; young and naïve, I arrived with wide eyes and a strong desire to embrace the world. New Orleans was my first home away from "home" and had a profound effect on who I am today. After many years of travel and moving around, I find I've come around full circle and am back in the city that changed my life; a city that became my own crib of musical expression, and artistic development and experimentation in photography.
Without having yet done a scientific analysis on a sociolinguistic level of what I've observed this week, I've started meeting people thanks to the first New Orleans contacts with whom I've been communicating over the past several months and doing what we call in French 'repérage' - I can't seem to find the word in English at the moment, the closest idea would be going out and getting an idea of what and who you're dealing with - over this past week, I find that the music is coming back to New Orleans and is very much alive and continues to give this city its seductive charm.
My first impressions of what I've been so lucky to experience this week are based on my own personal experience and opinion rather than a scientific one at the moment. I'm trying to keep the scientific analyses in mind, of course, but the musical environment is so organic that it's easy to be swept away in the moment. I've met a new generation of young musicians who continue to play Cajun music as their ancestors have done over the past two centuries, but after jamming with them last night, I find that there is a youthful flair and vitality in their expression of the music. A little more rock-n-roll, if you will. And the stories that were told. So amazing. I find that I'm ashamed of my own plain, indistinctive English accent as I hear their words lilting and rolling and dancing away. I almost feel like just switching into French. They also are able to tell me how they pronounce and say certain things in their Cajun French and compare it to International French. Although communication is not necessarily completely in French, it is expressed through music and song. I also noted the way English was spoken had a few similarities to the way a French native speaker would use the language. My first reaction was how much I love this accent. In the city, since the Saints won the Superbowl, the expression "Who dat!" is posted in almost every store and home window as well is daily in local newspapers. I also have been seeing everywhere the replacement of the "o" and "ow" as in "go" and "throw" replaced by the French "-eaux" such as in "Geaux Saints" or "Threaux 'em back". I believe that my gut feeling and hypothesis about the French language in Louisiana is pretty much on the right track, and there are Francophones who live in New Orleans, however, their roots are based in the bayous outside of New Orleans. Sadly, the former New Orleans Creole culture is long gone. It may be alive in food, but linguistically, I haven't uncovered anything.
I feel so fortunate as I continue on this endeavor and ambitious project; I'm very grateful and thankful to those who have embraced this project and have opened their door to me. Without them, this project would not have come together.
A huge shout of thanks goes to my professors at the Université Rennes 2, Prof. Sylvie Dubois of LSU, Jennifer Sachs (providing a roof over my head), Aleis Tusa of Habitat for Humanity, Jamie Lynn, Wendy, Calandra, Olivier, my parents and my supportive friends in France and the US who have helped and supported me all along on this journey.
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