Dialects in the Classroom

While it is unlikely that specific words used in New Orleans will cause problems for either encoding and decoding, these words may appear in written work, so it will be important to understand their meaning (rather than interpret them as a misspelling or mistake).

• Buku

Buku is derived from French beaucoup and means a lot. While people all over North America use the French beaucoup (usually with some irony) to mean ‘a lot,’ in New Orleans, it’s used a little differently.  Here it’s pronounced /buku/ (and you may see it spelled boocoo as well; we use this spelling because this is how teenagers once spelled it for us), and while it also means ‘a lot,’ as in I got buku groceries last night,  it can additionally be used as an intensifier (i.e. meaning ‘very’), as in It’s buku hot out. 

• Neutral ground1 

The term neutral ground was first used to designate a buffer territory separating the French and Spanish at the Louisiana-Texas border.  It was eventually imported to New Orleans to designate Canal St., separating the French and Creole neighborhoods (the French Quarter, Marigny, etc.)  from the later American-dominated Central Business District.  Over time it shifted to designate a dividing strip, usually filled with grass, separating lanes on a divided road.

• Make groceries/[age]

Make groceries is a direct translation (a calque) of the French expression faire les courses.  The French verb faire can be translated in English as either ‘to do’ or ‘to make’; New Orleanians chose the latter and produced make groceries. This verb is also used in combination with [age] instead of the word turn such that one who is about to become 12 years old might describe this as making 12 (e.g. I made twelve last month and my family had a big party). Other terms of French origin include (but are by no means limited to) beignet donut, flambeau torch bearer [at Carnival parades], parrain ‘godfather,’ and banquette ‘sidewalk.’  Parrain and especially banquette are heard less often today than they once were.  

• Huckabuck/huckle-buck/frozen cup/zip cup, etc.

In the hot summer months in New Orleans, enterprising locals would make and sell (or simply distribute to the local children) drinks (like Kool-Aid) frozen in their home freezers.  These took on different names in different neighborhoods of the city.

• Dressed

Sandwiches, including burgers, in New Orleans may be garnished with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayonnaise.  To order a sandwich this way is to order it dressed.  

• Cold drink

Different regions of the U.S. have different names for the fizzy, sugared drink that comes in many flavors, such as cola and lemon-lime. While most of the U.S. uses either soda or pop for this beverage, some New Orleanians use the term cold drink – regardless of whether the drinks in question are actually refrigerated (for example, The cold drinks need some ice because they are too hot)

• Padna/podna

Arising from the word partner, some Louisianans (this is common outside the city as well) use the word padna/podna to mean ‘friend.’ Usually this can refer to anyone from a best friend to a casual acquaintance, but the word is not used for romantic partners.