The United States Of Accents: New Orleans And Cajun English

New Orleans, located near the mouth of the Mississippi River, is one of the United States’ hottest spots for immigration. Throughout its history, the diversity of New Orleans has rivaled that of pretty much any other city on the map. There are a couple misconceptions to dispel about New Orleans English before diving into its history. First, some people assume that the New Orleans accent is a southern drawl, which it is not. It’s also not the same thing as Cajun English — a separate Louisiana dialect, which we’ll also discuss in this article. Also, while it’s not really a “misconception,” it’s worth noting that the Louisiana dialects have not been as extensively studied as those in New York City, Philadelphia and other cities with major universities. With that in mind, we’ll dive into NOLA.A History Of ImmigrationThe first people who lived in the area now known as New Orleans were, of course, Native Americans. And then, as with every single part of the United States, the Europeans came....