Does St. Martinville Native LA AG Jeff Landry ‘Fake’ His Accent?
There are a few things about people in South Louisiana that make us unique. Our accent(s) is just one of them.
You can give 10 people who live on the same street the exact same ingredients to make a gumbo and give them the exact same amount of time to get it cooked and, when they are done, you'll have 10 gumbos that taste a little different from each other.
You can give 10 people who live in neighboring cities in South Louisiana the exact same ingredients to make a gumbo and give them the exact same amount of time to get it cooked and, when they are done, you'll have 10 gumbos that taste a lot different from each other.
The Mardi Gras traditions of the New Iberia area differ greatly from the Mardi Gras traditions of the Mamou area.
And, of course, the accents of South Louisiana differ, too. I've heard Cajun accents so thick on some documentaries about our way of life that they had to be subtitled for people living outside of Acadiana.
For those of you new to Cajun accents, this news clip from KATC TV3 features a Cajun man describing a crime that happened near his home.
The man in the video above is from Scott, which is right outside of Lafayette.
Let's take a listen to a different Cajun accent - this one from the southeast portion of Acadiana: Pierre Part. You'll probably recognize this guy:
Yes, the famed Troy Landry, who helped to reinvigorate the interest in the Cajun lifestyle through his alligator hunting escapades on the History Channel's "Swamp People".
Now, on from one Landry to the next: the question was posed, online, as to whether Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry faked his Cajun accent. From the original Reddit post:
DISCLAIMER: Some feel that the question was asked with bias, slanted to try to pander to those with political opinions that differ from those of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. We are going to steer away from that bias and try to answer the question with 0 scientific proof whatsoever.
The person who originally posted the poll on Reddit asked "Does Attorney General Jeff Landry fake his Cajun accent to pander politically?" and, surprisingly, most of the responders feel that AG Jeff Landry is faking his accent. On what are they basing that opinion? I don't know. It is possible that they have met the man and compared his public accent to his private accent.
Had I voted in this poll, I would have voted "Real" for two reasons. The first reason: my accent varies. Now maybe I am not the best comparison, but I would think that anyone's accent would vary if they had to spend any time speaking in public.
The second reason I don't think that he uses a heavier accent at times is that he has been in this building dozens of times, and I have had the opportunity to interview him a few of those times. Never once did I notice a change in his accent (unless it was for "effect" when he was telling a joke).
What are your thoughts? Do you think that politicians try to put on a fake accent to impress people, or is it just college football coaches?
(Sorry, I couldn't resist that joke).
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