Cajun Self-Taught

by rev. msgr. jules o. daigle

10 Phrases

For some time I've had an interest in open source as a model for collaborative projects. I have an open source novel on my web site, and my Cajun 101 lessons are made available with a license that allows anyone who wants to take the material and adapt it in any way, improve it, mash-it, remix-it, and redistribute it. A few of us are adapting the lessons here and elsewhere as a Wikibook documenting Louisiana French.

What is did this morning was a first step into doing a Cajun mash-up and remix. Jim Léger recorded the audio for a number of phrases gleaned from Rev. Daigle's Cajun Self-Taught and released them on his web site back in November 2007. I have taken Jim Léger's audio for each phrase and constructed a BYKI list for you to study. Basically, I've taken one form of media and created another form and then given it back to the world. Enjoy!

This lesson contains ten phrases from Cajun Self-Taught:

Les veines ramènent le sang au coeur. (The veins return the blood to the heart.)

On doit pas se plaindre avec le ventre plein. (We ought not complain with a full belly.)

Les fossettes sont considerées belles. (The dimples are considered beautiful.)

Rire dans sa barbe veut dire rire en dessous. (To smirk means to suppress one's smile.)

En Cajun, une vilaine figure c'est une frimousse. (In Cajun, an ugly face is called a "frimousse.")

Je peux pas t'entendre. (I cannot hear you.)

Ce coup de tonnèrre était éffrayant. (This clap of thunder was frightening.)

Ce vin goûte haigre. (This wine tastes sour.)

Tu sens ça? (Do you smell that?)

Ce monde là puent. (These people here stink)

The verb puer means to stink or to smell bad or to smell of. The conjugations of puer sound similar to those of the verb pouvoir, to be able to.

Je peux I can
Je pue I stink

To study these words, you can use the BYKI list for this lesson.

Here are some other words relating to smell from Cajun Self-Taught p. 29:

le nez	the nose
l'odora	sense of smell (rarely used term)
le sentir	sense of smell (commonly used term)
la narine	the nostril
l'odeur (f)	the odor
l'essence (f)	the perfume
la bonne odeur	good odor
la mauvaise odeur	bad odor
la puanteur	the stench
l'odeur rance	the rancid odor
sentir	to smell (the act of smelling)
éventer	to sniff out
puer	to smell bad (give off a bad odor), to stink
sentir bon	to smell good
sentir le moisi	to smell musty
sentir fort	to smell strong
sentir (le) haigre	to smell sour

Note that the adjective haigre here is spelled with an "h". It can also be spelled without the "h" as in International French, aigre.