Cajun Word of the Day

Nos Mots written & illustrated by Sparreaux Updates sporadically

[cajunwords]

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Time for some EduCajun!

[libracoco-deactivated20250920]

How To Tell the Difference Between “Creole” and “Cajun”

In Louisiana and New Orleans, "Creole" and "Cajun" mean different things, but always remember to “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” a Cajun Fr

[fishtank-thinktank]

Fuck another shitty article about this. Ok so let me remind you guys again, even if you use the more modern definition of creole most if not, every Cajun has some creole ancestry, alongside this if you were to take it as the definition you see often in Louisiana which is “mixed race,non-English, originally from the time of settlement of Louisiana” most Cajuns still fit that definition. Most of them aren’t mixed with black, most of them are mixed indigenous. Legitimately it was the English that separated the term before the English came, we had no separation. Cajuns called themselves Acadian Creoles or Prairie Creoles*. Nor did we ever come up with the word Cajun, it was used negatively by the English to describe a “poor ‘white’ French person”. The separation legitimately came from Americans, not understanding the idea of ethnicity having multiple races under it so, they thought we were different ethnicities. Continuing the idea of separating these identities is only continuing the Americanization of my people and I ask for you to please stop, fuck, I beg of it. There are differences noticeable differences between Nola and Acadiana, make, but that doesn’t make the two ethnic groups there somehow completely different, we are sub groups of each other. 

Fuck, we can forget Cajuns entirely, the fuck you guys think Cane River Creole are. Because again hi we’re here. We’re not nola, We are Creoles, we are proud of it. Creole is not a Nola specific identity, there is a specific type of Nola Creole, but that is not the same as Louisiana Creole or the same as other sub groups. It’s easier to think of Louisiana Creole, as a broad spanning ethnicity that describes many other sub groups.

I swear to God if I see this again, I’m going to explode. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

*From my understanding, typically people would use the word prairie Creole if their family didn’t have Acadia ancestry. Though i’m still doing research about this. 

[cajunwords]

[cajunwords]

Speaking of Acadiana nostalgia..

[cajunwords]

Y'all, I was just going down memory lane and do any y'all older folks remember the flipping clown in the Acadiana Mall? It was in the window of a shoe store. According to my mom long ago, my grandmother used to sew clothes for it.

Anyway, does anyone maybe have pictures of it? I'll need to go look through my old photo albums from when I was just a bebe.

[ciderjacks]

A half-savage creature

[cajunwords]

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Baw! 💀

[cajunwords]

It is time.

[cajunwords]

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[ciderjacks]

A half-savage creature

[ciderjacks]

cajundns and afro-cajuns need more rep pleaaasseeeee we exist we’re here why is the only cajun rep either derogatory jokes or the whitest palest cajuns ever or literally just some guy who happens to live in Lousiana

[pyrrhiccomedy]

So I've been learning French for a while and 'faire' is actually an incredible word. Like what a fucking breakthrough in economy of language.

Faire is a verb that is usually translated into English as "to do/to make," but it covers way more actions than that, which is very confusing for new speakers. because (I have realized) that's not really what faire means.

Faire is actually a word that just gestures vaguely in the direction of the object of the sentence and goes "you know." "Je fais du velo." "Je fais du courses." "Je fais mes valises." I'm biking. I go grocery shopping. I'm packing my bags. You're just sort of pointing at a bike and going "you know, the obvious thing you'd do with it."

English: "You mean RIDE it??"

French: "Sure whatever."

Like idk I just really enjoy the concept of a catch-all verb that you can just slap onto almost anything because who fucking gives a shit, you get the idea. There's a bike. what do you think I'm going to do with it.

[cajunwords]

This is why in Cajun English, we say we "make groceries" when going grocery shopping!

[sparreauxchirps]

[sparreauxchirps]

"I'm ya papa, me."

"NO! Dat ain't possible!"

[sparreauxchirps]

[sparreauxchirps]

Stole from the Lagniappe Meme Company

[bill-blake-fans-anonymous]

Today I learned that “boudoir” is derived from the French verb “bouder”—to sulk. Your boudoir is where you go when you’re tired of talking to people and just want to sit around feeling a bit resentful.

[cajunwords]

Cajun Word of the Day #7

Lagniappe (LAHN-yahp)

Extra. Bonus.

Example: The extra doughnut in a baker’s dozen.

I had teachers when I was growing up who would title the bonus question on tests as ‘lagniappe’.

And that wraps up our very first week of Cajun Words! I hope y’all are enjoying these as much as I enjoy making them. Feel free to send in any questions, comments, or requests you might have!

[hmantegazzi]

I’m fascinated by this word because it travelled so much to arrive there!

Lagniappe is the Cajun reception of the Spanish phrase “la yapa” or “la ñapa”, of which “yapa” is a loanword from the Kichwa “yapa”, which means sum, increase or repetition.

Yet, the specific usage the Spanish heard from the Kichwa remained almost intact: this extra addition a merchant gives to their client after completing a sale.

It’s also believed that the word didn’t even arrive to the New Orleans with the Spanish themselves, but through Afro-Caribbean Spanish-speaking merchants that had learnt it from South American mestizos and natives. The word itself went from place to place, given as a lagniappe, an extra gift to the products traded, to arrive at North America.

[cajunwords]

Oh, to be a trans Cajun man named T-Boy.