Origin of Family words
 

Hi guys - I have recently acquired an interest in my family's heritage, after finding the correct origin of one of our "family words". Both of my grandparents on my mother's side were full-blood French-speaking cajun. Unfortunately I never had the pleasure to meet them, and they chose not to pass down French to their children. My mom uses a handful of words with us that we've never been able to find the origin of. With a lot of internet searching and cajun-french-word-list-reading, I've found two or three explanations - but most of them are still a mystery. That's where you come in.

Have you heard of any of the words below? Either in Cajun-French or French.

One's I have found:
Pain Perdu - "Papa-dew" >> french toast
Pischouette - "Pea-schwet" >> a tiny piece of hair that got missed in a haircut. You always go back the 2nd day and cut all the pea-schwets. I found that this is actually "runt or little person" in Cajun. My family must have just mis-used the word.
Peekon - "Pee-cau" >> thorn in your foot

Ones yet to find:
"Ee-cok-ted" >> when a picture frame is crooked, or something is all helter-skelter like a shirt that is buttoned wrong.
"Eh-chauffed" >> when your legs rub against each other and get chafed
"say-shaw" >> "for shame"

Also - does anyone else "Make a washing"? Or is it just my family?

Pain perdu literally means lost bread. French toast was made after the homemade bread began to get stale.
Piquante is a general term for thorn or sticker. It also means spicy hot...hence sauce piquante
Echauffure is *****ly heat
Honte (don't pronounce the h) is shame. Probably what you heard was C'est honte which would mean that's a shame, or it's a shame.
Pischouette is a runt or little person but in many cases certain areas used words in sayings that were unique to just that area. Remember before WWII the Cajun communities were isolated. 10 miles was a long way by mule. My parents were raised 7 miles apart dad in Mier and mom in Cankton and some of their uses of words or sayings was unique to that area.
Making a wash...is the literal translation of "faire un lavage". Faire is the verb "to do" or "to make". Many times people who spoke French as their first language would, as they learned English, make the literal translation. I'm 55, my dad learned English at the age of 10 (when he started school...long story) and my mom's older brothers and sisters taught her enough English that when she stared school she could interpret for the teacher. I, and many others of my generation, grew up with sayings such as..."Save the dishes", "Get down from the car", "Pass the broom over the floor", "Catch me a fork, spoon, etc." All because our parents were translating straight from French to English. I, and many of my friends, started school saying things like "sheeps", "shrimps", "Him, he's in trouble yea", and never forget our mom's yelling "Get in da house you!" I'm glad to see that you have taken an interest in your families' heritage. I was one of the few of my generation that was taught French in the home...I later majored in it in college, spent a little time in Belgium in college, taught French at the middle school level and am now the Principle of a French Immersion school. Family heritage is fun and learning about how your family lived, the situations that they went through, and how they survived helps us all to better understand who we are. Anytime you need help with the French language just pm me.

Wow, thanks to both of you. my grand parents spoke french at home. they died when i was 8 and so did my french, but i've always been fascinated with the language. i worked offshore when i was younger and back then most of the rigging crews were cajuns and every barge or boat had folks from the same areas. if you went from barge to barge or sometimes from shift to shift on the same barge, the language changed somewhat.

My Moms parents lived were the marsh and rice-fields meet south and west of Gueydan..I spent lots of time as a young boy on my grandparents small rice farm..But I didn't take time to learn cajun french.

I know most of the curse words and a few simple phrases.. Biggest disappointment was that I didn't learn cajun french and then teach my 2 sons..

I think French Immersion should be available TO ALL School children in the Whole State.. Its so very important to not let this language die...

Thank you @cajunduck_man for the help with many of the words! It's funny how simply knowing the origin of your sayings changes a weird word from being embarrassing to being something you're proud of.

I do plan to learn full French, and will be interested on how that will supplement my learning more about my Cajun heritage.

Any ideas on this word? I think it's the only remaining word. My hunch is that it is a mash of English "c'ocked", but I'm not sure where the "ee" part comes from.
"Ee-cok-Ted" >> when a picture frame is crooked, or something is all helter-skelter like a shirt that is buttoned wrong.

Go to mass at St. Elizabeth Seton church in Lafayette and you'll hear Father Gary use almost all of those expressions in any given sermon. I use quite a few of those, and lately I've noticed my daughter picking them up as well.

I am thinking it might be the word echevele, the accents are not there and in French the absence of an accent can change the meaning of the word, or even misspell it. If that is it then it means dishevel...disarrange. The pronunciation of the word could be off or an accent is involved. The Cajun dialect of French has, or had, many accents. It's no different than listening to accents from New Orleans, Ville Platte, and DeRidder. When my wife and I were dating it took me a while to pick up on her parent's accent...they were from Kaplin and Perry. When I get new French teachers in from France it takes me a little while to pick up the accent if they are from a part that I have never had contact with. When I was in Belgium everyone there that I met thought I had been isolated in the back woods for a long time. When they found out I was from Louisiana they would tell me..."You speak like my grandparents did." I remember when I was 10 years old I was bagging groceries and stocking shelves in Antonies Touchet's Grocery in Lake Charles. I mopped the floor one day and had about 10 min. left on the clock. He walked up to me and asked me why I was leaning on the mop. I told him I mopped the floor. He said "T-Boy, there are still some "glido" (gleedeaux) on the floor, mop again! Glido are the kernels of popcorn that did not pop. Where he was from...the Kaplan/Gueydan area, they used that word for any small thing left on the floor. So your word, depending on where your grandparents were from, could have a double meaning. If you want to learn more French this is what I suggest. #1. Find movies that you really like and can almost repeat word for word and find them in French, then watch them over and over. You will begin to pick up the language. #2. If you are in the Lafayette area attend one of the "Table Francais". These are people who meet in restaurants and practice speaking French...everyone regardless of their knowledge of the language is invited. #3. Learn French phonics...we have the same alphabet but the way we pronounce the sounds are different. #4. Understand that Cajun French is French. Standard French, like you learn is school is just that...it is the same as in English..."I am looking for the frying pan"...we would say..."I am looking fur the skillet." Same language different accent. There is a lot more but I think you get the picture. Remember...practice, practice, practice. The muscles in your mouth are used to pronouncing words in English, you will use those same muscles in different ways to pronounce words in French...just keep at it. FYI...I did a post at the beginning of duck season titled My dad's ducks...I put as many of the Cajun names for the ducks over here as I could remember...just something to practice on. I have several older cousins in their 70's and one Aunt in her 80's so I will inquire about the word you were asking me about.
Tim

I agree. To date the biggest disappointment of my life is not learning "Cajun French" from my grandparents before they passed away.

If at all possible I will pay the extra money that it costs to enroll my daughter into the French Emersion program when she enters elementary school.

It is truly a part of our heritage that will be extinct if our generation does not step up and do something about it.

What an awesome thread. My grandparents grew up speaking only French until they had to go to school. My mom picked up on the language and forgot most of it, but my dad never did. I tried to pick up on it growing up, but it was only used when my grandparents didn't want us to know what they were talking about. I took French in school and spent a summer at Université Sainte-Anne in La Pointe de l'Eglise (Church Point), Nova Scotia learning French. We were completely immersed in the language for 5 straight weeks. It was an amazing feeling when I woke up from a dream that was in French and when I would have a thought, it was in French. In that short while, I truly became fluent in the language. Sadly, after coming back home and not having someone to regularly converse with, I forgot the majority of it. To the OP, if circumstances allow it, I would highly recommend looking into going to the immersion program at Université Sainte-Anne. I believe they have a 1 week program as well, which would be a great start. Now I use cajun music (the old stuff such as Iry Lejeune) to try and remember some of what I forgot. It's not as effective as I would like though.

Cajunduck, are you a Principle of a french immersion school in Lafayette? My son is 3 and I've been teaching him phrases here and there. He doesn't ask people to "come see," it's "Vien ici". And "right there" is "droite la." I'm just trying to light the flame. Im praying we can get him into French immersion when it's time.

You might also google Father Jules Daigle. He was a priest from Welsh who put out a dictionary of Cajun French. It's pretty helpful as it lists the words both ways, French to English and English to French.

MattG, I am a principal at a French Immersion School in Calcasieu Parish. Good job teaching your son some French and he is using it. The younger they are when they start the more they will learn, and retain, as well as not being embarrassed if they mispronounce a word. Tboy, Father Daigle's dictionary is really great. When using it, the French to English side, it best to have a knowledge of French phonics and verb conjugation. Same alphabet, different pronunciation; and the accents can also change the meaning of the word. Without some phonics knowledge people tend to pronounce a foreign word in English phonics. If the word is a verb Father Daigle usually only has it in the infinitive because he would have had to add at least 500 pages to accommodate all the different conjugations. An example is when you see the verb Parler (to speak or to talk) depending on the subject you are using the spelling will change... I speak or I am speaking-je parle...you speak or you are speaking tu parles or vous parlez. Now here is a major difference between "Standard French" (ain't no such thing as Parisian French) and the Cajun dialect. In standard French I speak or I am speaking is je parle. In the Cajun dialect I speak is je parle but I am speaking is j'apres parler. In Standard French the "am, is, and are" are understood...meaning that it is part of the conjugation of the verb but in the Cajun dialect the word apres is used as a linking verb. Apres also means after when used as a preposition, a subordinating conjunction, an adjective or even an adverb, depending on the context. Standard French never uses apres or anything else as a linking verb. MattG, Iry Lejeune's dialect is from the Point Noir area around Church Point. Listen to the difference between him and Vin Bruce (Lafourche Parish) on the 99 year waltz. Good way to pick up the accent differences. Another great way to pick up on the language is to listen to Cajun Radio shows...KRVS FM 88.7, KBON FM 101.1, and KVIP AM 1050. Besides the music they have commercials and PSAs in French. Don't let the language go...Lache pas la patate!

My family and I have been brainstorming and we've come up with a few more! Thank you everyone for all the help so far. I would love to know the French-root of these words:

sackafrydough >> a nickname for beignets?
something like "ee-fod" >> when food lacked enough seasoning
John Sought >> what you got called when you had a brainless moment (like a Blonde moment). I cannot find any references to this on the internet!
No-ca-yo's >> bunions ?
gratin >> food stuck on the bottom of the pan

Thank you again!

Father Gary is AWESOME!!!!

Never heard of the first one.
"ee-fod" is il faut (it is necessary) but used in a very strong way...Il faut aller...you HAVE to go...an old joke during WWII...he was an "ee-fod"...il faut aller...in other words he was drafted...it also means to be necessary so probably "it is necessary for more seasoning".
Not sure about "John Sough"...will get back to you on that
"No-ca-yo's" probably comes from "un bougon". Blending the two words together will pronounce a sound similar to what you have heard.
Gratin is really rice stuck to the side of the pot. In the days before rice cookers became popular (the late Jim Olivier on Passe Partout advertised Hitachi rice cookers for years and even as late as the 1985 my refused to cook rice in anything except an old aluminum pot) We would scrape the gratin's off of the side of the pot, put in the refrigerator and eat it the next morning with milk.

Mais un fan..........

I always thought it meant "oh my God"..........

I missed it on several fronts.........my maternal granparents spoke cajun french......my paternal grandparents spoke hungarian.

My dad can speak both and he understands german and spanish as well.......not too bad for an old mechanic

"Oh My God" is "Chere Bon Dieu"...sha bon d-u...literally Oh Good God.

That's great! I can understand some Spanish if it is spoken slowly to me...German...when I was in Europe I could ask for the best beer in town, are you married, and when does your husband get home!

Heck, what else does and American in Europe need to kneaux

Well back in the early to mid 80s it was nice to know if the "ladies" knew what a razor was...after a night on the town and several drinks you could wake up with Chewbacca (starwars).