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Originally Posted by ihavesunshine
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.
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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