Preserving the French language in Louisiana | Interview with the lovely Isabelle ⚜️

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  • čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
  • Join my FB page! 😊 profile.php?id=61552753760751 👉Use the chapters to navigate throughout the video:
    0:00 Introduction
    0:03 Who is Isabelle?
    2:33 How old were you when you arrived in Louisiana?
    3:04 I came for a year, I’m still here 37 years after
    4:14 overcoming the barrier language
    5:54 difficulties to understand people the first few months
    6:56 my twin sister joined me a year after
    7:40 family and distance
    8:11 Tell us about your work in Louisiana and your students
    12:22 cuisine in classes!
    13:23 French VS Spanish
    13:48 it’s hard to preserve French in Louisiana
    13:58 What do you think are the reasons your students study French?
    16:46 Do any of them speak French at home or with their friends?
    17:46 What do they think about France?
    20:17 History of the people who ended up in Louisiana
    22:20 What is Louisiana French?
    25:49 Preserving Louisiana French
    26:46 The use of QUOI
    27:23 the use of avoir instead of être
    28:18 This is the real language
    29:17 Special events with the students
    30:09 Growing up being bilingual
    31:38 How does being bilingual open doors
    36:50 balancing the two languages at home
    37:09 Being consistent is key
    38:06 Do you miss Belgium?
    38:47 What about the food?
    39:53 Some sayings used in Cajun French
    40:22 Mardi Gras
    42:30 Maybe a follow-up?
    42:49 Thank you, Isabelle!
    I had the pleasure to interview Isabelle, a Belgian settled in Louisianna to teach French. She kindly answered a lot of questions regarding her job as a teacher, her life in Louisiana, the place of French & Cajun French in the State, and more!
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    Hi! I'm Marie & I’m French 🇫🇷 Here, we uncover the French Culture, its influence overseas, and how it is impacted by other countries 😊
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Komentáře • 58

  • @PlanetEarth3141
    @PlanetEarth3141 Před 2 lety +30

    Marie, you have gone from a reactionary channel, where you watch existing content from elsewhere and react to it, to a channel creating original and new content. That is a serious change and a huge improvement in my opinion. Many channels can't do that and never try. My respects to you. You have become a truly worthy content provider and left the herd to find your own way forward.

  • @donaldboudreaux5727
    @donaldboudreaux5727 Před rokem +5

    I am a Cajun, and I remember hearing stories of children being punished for speaking French at school. One of the big things that brought back pride in being Cajun and speaking French was Cajuns serving in World War II. When they were in France they realized they could speak with the people in France and were used as translators. I am 51, and I am the first generation of my family to grow up only speaking English. I so wish I was taught French as a kid.

  • @carllance8062
    @carllance8062 Před 2 lety +16

    What an interesting interview Marie. It was so interesting to hear Isabelle's story and to learn about why her students chose to learn French. I took French in High School because I was intrigued with France and its culture. To be honest, I still am. Thank you so much for sharing this interesting interview with us. Merry Christmas to you and your family 🎅🎄 Take care and stay safe 🙏

  • @gregcrawley2668
    @gregcrawley2668 Před 2 lety +10

    Wow Marie she seems like a very nice person. I bet she is an amazing teacher. The world could use a lot more people like her. This was a fantastic video thanks for sharing.

  • @paulk.6969
    @paulk.6969 Před 2 lety +8

    I loved this video Marie. I’ve always loved the Cajun culture , food , and music, even though I’m not Cajun myself. I hunted snakes for a while with a Cajun snake hunter, and learned quite a bit about the Cajun culture. We got along very well. He was making a living in the bayous of Louisiana, and I was making a living in the Everglades region of South Florida, where I grew up, so we had a lot in common. Someday I hope to go to Louisiana, and live there, possibly in Houma , where I have friends there.. I was very happy to hear from this teacher, that a great effort is being made to preserve the Cajun language and culture. I always hated the fact that there was an effort to eliminate the language, which to me never made any sense at all, since the U.S.A. Is nothing but a melting pot of many cultures. So this video was uplifting for me in that sense. Thank you for this. Looking forward to your next one. I have no idea where you are going to go next which makes will make me anticipate it more! Well done.😎👍👍👍

  • @raeyearnd3260
    @raeyearnd3260 Před rokem

    Isabelle, you are certainly a blessing for the Ruston area.

  • @royschmidt675
    @royschmidt675 Před rokem

    Excellent and very special video with a very special guest. Extremely interesting ! Thank you so very much ! Peace & Love 💕🌸🙏

  • @Kevigator
    @Kevigator Před 10 měsíci +2

    My son went to school with Isabelle’s son and was a student of hers at Baton Rouge High. It was good to hear her insight into the French culture in Louisiana. Thanks for the interview.

  • @miked1254
    @miked1254 Před 2 lety +3

    We are so blessed to have her teaching in Baton Rouge. My grandmother was one of those who were told to stop speaking French in school when she was growing up. Both she and my great grandmother were both very strong Cajun speakers though. They would speak French when they didn’t want us to know what they were talking about. As a result, and because we were not immersed in it, and it wasn’t emphasized in our education when I was in school, it’s been lost with most of my generation. Words and phrases, but that’s about all we were exposed to. I think that is a horrible loss for the people of South Louisiana.

  • @ericjahoda2997
    @ericjahoda2997 Před 2 lety +8

    OMG! I have to add a second "favorite French woman" to my list.......After you, Marie, of course! Wonderful interview.

    • @JGW845
      @JGW845 Před 2 lety

      Psst! I highly suspect that Isabelle is now a naturalized US citizen and our country is all the better for people like her. In her heart I'm sure she is still very much Belgian.

  • @greggsmith6043
    @greggsmith6043 Před 2 lety +5

    Wonderful video Marie! Isabelle seems like a sweet and charming woman, and very interesting to listen to! She should have you as a guest speaker (virtually of course), and you could tell them about life in France. I am sure they would love that! She should also recommend your channel to them as a way to learn more about France. I just have a feeling that something very special could develop through this connection with Isabelle.

  • @peppapickmeisha
    @peppapickmeisha Před rokem +3

    Vive la Louisiane française. We aren’t gone yet ⚜️

  • @lioninwinter9316
    @lioninwinter9316 Před 2 lety +2

    I took 4 years of French in High School. I struggled for the first 2 years. In my 3rd year something clicked and I did much better. I haven't used it enough and have lost it.

  • @geoffoakland
    @geoffoakland Před 2 měsíci

    There is a French Language tv station in Louisiana which started 5 years ago,Télé Louisiane. 😊

  • @daveb1177
    @daveb1177 Před rokem

    That was interesting. I wish I had her as a teacher when I was in school.

  • @JGW845
    @JGW845 Před 2 lety +3

    Marie, are you familiar with "TED Talks'? They are a series of seminars here in the US where experts give talks on subjects on things on which they are doing research. Very interesting, very informative, and very enlightening. This interview with Ms Isabelle equals or exceeds any TED Talk I have viewed. I learned so much about French influence and culture in and on Louisiana. You are an accomplished interviewer! You allowed Isabelle to talk with only minimal prompting. The result was a riveting video about a young Belgian woman making a successful life in a foreign country, mastering the history of the region, raising a family, and making an impact on the lives on the children she taught. That IS the fairy tale story of moving to America! Best of all, mon petit cher, you presented to us on a golden plate. You deserve the highest award possible for this video! While others are making comparisons of the differences between country X and Y, you are producing journalism that borders on art!

  • @dodgermartin4895
    @dodgermartin4895 Před 4 měsíci

    Interesting, I learned how to speak French when I lived in Belgium.

  • @aliwantizu
    @aliwantizu Před 2 lety +2

    Bonkour Marie! Very interesting! It's always great to learn how much other cultures are a part of the US, despite some people seeming to think otherwise. Merci Beaucoup! ~Be Blessed

  • @billunwin7624
    @billunwin7624 Před 2 lety +3

    Coucou Marie et Isabelle!
    Ce vidéo, c’est du bon boulot ça! Vous vous êtes bien débrouillé tous les deux! J’ai vraiment aimé le regarder! Marie, toi et Roxane, vous êtes tous les deux clairement les filles de vos mères ! 🥰C'est tout à fait remarquable à tous les égards. Mes meilleurs vœux pour Noël à vous et à vos proches ! 🎄🎅
    -------
    Great video Marie and Isabelle ! You both did a great job. I really enjoyed watching it ! Merry Christmas to you and yours !

  • @user-David-Alan
    @user-David-Alan Před 2 lety +2

    I watched the whole interview. It was very interesting to get her perspective. Thank you and stay well.

  • @canadianeasybid
    @canadianeasybid Před 2 lety +1

    It is so nice to hear from other people how they got to be where they are and why. We as people are so similar and our differences are not so big. We should all be getting along with each other. Every person is a story waiting to be told. What a great world we could live in if everyone was interested as you are Marie in other people.

  • @hardtackbeans9790
    @hardtackbeans9790 Před 2 lety +2

    You may not know some of the backstory about Louisiana hiring French teachers. Cajun, Creole, & others were discouraged as 'crude' talk in the early 20th century. The state government may have even penalized schools for teaching it or encouraging it. And it almost worked. To some degree Cajun was dying out. But families kept it alive until the 60's. Then the state reversed their position on this sometime later & school started at least encouraging it again. It sounds like now they are going full speed into teaching it again and I'm sure the influx of French, African, & Caribbean teachers are meant to help this along. Timoun yo se tan kap vini an. Which is one form of Creole. 23:09 I see she mentions French was forbidden too. I didn't know that one. Good interview.

  • @timofeegraaay8165
    @timofeegraaay8165 Před 2 lety +2

    I took Spanish in school because it is basically the second language in the US due to Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central Americans live here. You could also take French or Russian. Russian is not taught so much now because the Soviet Union collapsed and the military and many government jobs that wanted Russian speakers stopped hiring Americans for good jobs to in essence become spies on the evil terrible enemy USSR! Now many schools offer Mandarin or Farsi, along with Spanish and French. I love the French culture and language but I must admit Spanish is much more helpful in most areas.
    Louisiana is trying to preserve the very strong French culture there now. For a while it was looked down upon and discouraged by the government. That was very dumb but what can one do? I am glad they have finally started to try to get young people to learn their heritage and language.
    Another very good video, well done young lady. The northern part of Louisiana has much less French influence than the southern part. The southern part of the state has very strong French culture and people of French descent.

  • @joseph96345
    @joseph96345 Před 2 lety +1

    Marie, Thank you so much for this. I graduated for LA tech myself. My wife is from Ruston. I really enjoyed hearing Isabelle's story. I group up in south LA and study French when I was in elementary and high school.

  • @folofus4815
    @folofus4815 Před 2 lety +2

    Oh wow that was a very interesting interview. I had just been looking at videos of Cajun culture preservation stuff so this was timely too

  • @dennisstafford1749
    @dennisstafford1749 Před 2 lety +1

    One of my daughters and her family live about 35 minutes from Baton Rouge. This was a wonderful interview. Isabelle, obviously enjoyed talking to you. Good Listener, Marie. Marie, tell us how this interview came about. Would you like to visit Louisiana some day? In the eary 1700s the Mississippi, Illinois, and St. Lawrence Rivers were the highways tthat connected the French Quebecois with New Orleans. Auguste Chouteau co-founded St. Louis and grew up on the frontier. He was the primary early fur trade in the later 1700s. When the U.S. purchased the Louisiana from Napoleon the Explorers Lewis and Clark began from St. Louis accompanied by French (engages, Courer du Bois, Voyagers) Canot. When artifcats, flora and fauna were sent back to St. Louis from the Expedition Chouteau sent his half brother, Pierre, to Washington, D.C. to protect the delivery to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson who spoke French and had been an American Ambassador to France was unimpressed with Pierre's French because his French was crude. The Chouteaus resented this slight. So when Missouri's Constitution was written to submit to Congress (for statehood-1820) Chouteau would not sign it until it was translated in French and signed by all parties. Missouri residents are unaware their 1820 Constitution was written in both French and English (I have a copy).

  • @keithm9966
    @keithm9966 Před 2 lety +2

    Terrific job Marie! Very interesting :0) 🐺

  • @tootalazaaz
    @tootalazaaz Před 2 lety +2

    It was quite nice listening to Isabelle. 😀

  • @rickbullock4331
    @rickbullock4331 Před 11 měsíci

    Very interesting interview with Isabelle. She seems like a lovely woman. It’s nice that she was able to come from Belgium to Louisiana and has a career as a teacher teaching French to students in the United States. 👍👍🇨🇦

  • @dean828
    @dean828 Před 2 lety +3

    Many people outside of this area in the USA do not know that the French culture, language, and people also had some impact in the Carolina's... the American Revolution saw many French privateers (sailors and merchants) bringing supplies from Europe and taking cotton, etc. back to Europe. Many of these men married the local women (Wilmington, NC... Charleston, SC... Savannah, GA...) Not to mention the Marquis de Lafayette and his company of French militia... I'm from the Wilmington, NC area and have a French ancestor in my family... a young sea captain, Charles Francois Bouysonn... He had a short layover and was invited to the home of the Hester family (English 🇬🇧 settlers) who spoke French... He fell for one of the daughters... had voila... married and the whole Brisson (the anglicization of his surname) Family of southeast North Carolina are his descendants... I'm descended from one of the other Hester daughters... so no French in me... but the Brisson family are very aware and proud of their French origins... and my family are very aware of the French history of this area. Merci Beaucoup!

    • @eTraxx
      @eTraxx Před 11 měsíci

      I live about 1/4 mile from Highway 1 in Lugoff, SC just outside Camden. When the road enters Camden it becomes De Kalb Street, named after MG Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb the hero who fell at the Battle of Camden in 1780.

  • @charlesvaughn2192
    @charlesvaughn2192 Před 2 lety +1

    I might learn something yet- very informative, and, again I applaud your ever improving English skills.

  • @fvvipp
    @fvvipp Před 2 lety +1

    Very interesting subject Marie! Keep up the good work!

  • @according2petey25
    @according2petey25 Před 2 lety +2

    Incredible video miss marie👍 it's amazing how you never wanna stop learning..
    🎄very merry Christmas🎅🎅

  • @SarahMBreaux
    @SarahMBreaux Před rokem

    I was born and raised in Louisiana. My grandparents had to learn English (grew up speaking Cajun French). As a kid in school I took about 5 yrs of French class. I would always be so excited to tell her what I learned only for her not to understand much since French and Cajun French are so different. I recently took up trying to learn French again.... pray it goes well.

  • @alvinsavage1775
    @alvinsavage1775 Před 2 lety

    VERY LOVELY ! I like to listen to French &German being spoken ;but I LOVE to SAY French words !!! After 35 years in Louisiana , I should be fluent ! , but no ! I really love both your channels Marie ! NEVER STOP ! ! !
    Alvin Sauvage , Bayou Marie , (central) Louisiana .

  • @fiddleback1568
    @fiddleback1568 Před rokem

    Legend has it General Ney is buried in North Carolina.

  • @dennisstafford1749
    @dennisstafford1749 Před 2 lety +1

    Wow!

  • @GeorgeMillerUSA
    @GeorgeMillerUSA Před rokem

    Please invite Steve Kaufman to your podcast. He's a polyglot who can speak 20 languages, and he's fluent in French. Maybe do the whole podcast in French, too.

  • @garyemagee7177
    @garyemagee7177 Před 2 lety

    I enjoyed that very much !
    I hope to see more of Isabelle on your channel in the future.

  • @yellowbeardjamesgibson9297

    Hello Miss Marie !!! Don't know how this Got Past me because I Am Subscribe For All notifications ! Dam You Tube 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  • @jamesleyda365
    @jamesleyda365 Před 11 měsíci

    Beautiful

  • @artd.
    @artd. Před 2 lety

    WOW, Girl you are good! What a most interesting interview. A lot of things I did not know and I live in Louisiana!!!! Great job Miss Marie..........🙂

  • @kaarlosaario525
    @kaarlosaario525 Před 2 lety +1

    I wondered what happened to you. Great to see you started your own content channel. Are you living in France?

  • @primeribviking3688
    @primeribviking3688 Před 2 lety

    Our school system in Louisiana offered French as a language class starting in 4th grade. When 5th grade came around you had to choose between French and Band. I went with band but I should have stuck with French.

  • @MacGuffinExMachina
    @MacGuffinExMachina Před 2 lety +1

    North Louisiana feels more foreign to me than France.

  • @lautreamontg
    @lautreamontg Před 2 lety +2

    I would love to take French lessons, but they're rather rare here...

  • @dennisstafford1749
    @dennisstafford1749 Před 2 lety +2

    Now you must visit so many places: Louisiana, Quebec, and one more . . Martinique. Martinique is France in the Caribbean. They are a "Department" and as such spend Euros and are French-no visa required. Josephine, Napoleon's wife, was born on Martinique. Bananas in France come from Martinique. The Rum liquer, Cliement, is distilled there under French specifications. Martinque was a slave plantation economy and slavery was not outlawed ubtil 1848. Napoleon was encouraged by Josephine, born on a plantation (family were plantation owners) encouraged Napoleon to reconstitute slavery in the French Islands. It was this policy that caused Napoleon to send 20,000 French Troops to Haiti to quell the Hatiian rebellion. The slaves defeated Napoleon's Army-which encouraged Napoleon to sell The Louisiana to the Americans to finance fighting the British.

  • @ListwaLanyap1760
    @ListwaLanyap1760 Před měsícem

    No mention of Louisiana Creole?

  • @joelmoreno4223
    @joelmoreno4223 Před rokem

    US residents are so ethnocentric, we should be learning a second language in elementary school, 1st or second grade, when children can learn/absorb a new language sooo easily. Sooo disappointing we refuse to learn about other cultures.

  • @dickkapp336
    @dickkapp336 Před 2 lety

    I want to hear you pronounce Chevrolet

  • @barjotina9880
    @barjotina9880 Před měsícem +1

    La Louisiane n’était pas le petit état qu’il est aujourd’hui. Quand Napoléon l’a vendu aux Anglais (pour financer ses guerres……)elle représentait la moitié de l’Amérique de l’époque (depuis la frontière du Canada jusqu’à la Louisiane d’aujourd’hui . C’est grâce à cette vente que les Anglais ont pu agrandir leur territoire, la Louisiane les ayant gêné pour leur progression vers l’ Ouest. Bref, si ce stupide Napoléon n’avait pas vendu la Louisiane , la France aurait agrandi se territoires vers l’Ouest et l’Amérique d’aujourd’hui n’existerait pas.Le français serait la langue des USA aujourd’hui et la face du monde aurait changé…
    l’

  • @glennt3207
    @glennt3207 Před 3 měsíci

    Immigration is wonderful in the US. Would you come if everything is free?

  • @retireorbust
    @retireorbust Před 3 měsíci

    I've never spent much time in Louisiana but i know there's a lot of poverty there.