Where are we going again?

As a bit of a dabbler in languages (decent amount of French, a lot more Spanish and I can understand my dog and cats fluently), I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the common catch phrases thrown about in the Crescent City and to try and ascertain a few of the rules of pronunciation. Just as it's a nice gesture, when traveling to a foreign country, to learn at least a few of the basics so that your first experience in a new place isn't to stare at someone blankly, so is my intention to arrive on November 1 with a couple of mental notes on local-speak tucked into my pocket.

So, that leads me back to..."Where are we going again?"

Sure, it's easy enough for me to type "New Orleans" but a heck of a lot trickier to actually pronounce it.

As I'm sure you all know, New Orleans has been shaped by a myriad of influences: Creole, Cajun, French, Spanish, Caribbean, Northern US, Southern US and the influx of transplants from around the country and world. A virtual jambalaya of people, so to speak. It's generally acknowledged that there are close to 100 different ways that locals pronounce the city's name. This leads me to believe that there's no absolute right, but there are some preferred ways and definitely a couple of WRONGS. And they are:

New ORLEENS - I'm from Boston and whenever I hear someone say "I'm going to pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd", it smacks me in the head like a Tedy Bruschi tackle - tourist. Such is the same with this pronunciation. Don't even say it as a joke.

N'Awlins - Imagine the scenario...You're at the watering hole on the corner where all of the locals hang out. The crusty old barkeep throws at you, "First time in N'Awlins?" and you're tempted to mimic him back, like you're being trusted with a secret code; that you're one of the gang. But according to several sources on the subject, "The fabled 'N’Awlins' is used by some natives for amusement, and by some non-natives who think they’re being hip, but actually I’ve come across very few locals who actually pronounce the name of the City in this way."

Now, erase those from your brains forever. On to a few of the preferred or at least more common pronunciations:

new OR-lans

new OR-lee-ans

new AH-lee-ans

nyoo AH lee-ans

Hope this was helpful. See you all in....the Big Easy.

Next blog on NO-speak: "What is a Yat?"