Sunday, March 30, 2014

Origins of Goyo

La chasse? Ouais, on a fait ein à la Grande Prairie et ein à le GoYo...le Goyo c'est entre Washington and Grand Prairie, you know the Grand Prairie school? Mais, across from that, that's the GoYo... 

(a hunt? oh yeah, we made one at the Grand Prairie and one at the Goyo. The Goyo is between Washington and the Grand Prairie...)

From time to time people call in to the Tasse de Cafe Radio Program to ask about the origins of the word Goyo. There is doubt among the callers that even the oldest residents of the Goyo know what it means or where it comes from. Some think it is related to gorgoyo the local word for tadpole. Some thought goyo meant "imbecile", but my favorite origin story to date is this one:

It's called Goyo because we say "If you come over here to Goyo and you don't act respectful, you can go-yo butt outa here."

Goyo update: Madame Vidrine says that Goyo was the name of a cousin who lived there, Mr. Goyo Soileau. 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Gumbo Tchoc

 
Mais tu connais quoi c'est un tchoc, hein?
Blackbird, huh?
Un bon gumbo, ça. 
Ho, Jack! 
Si ça fait un gumbo! 
C'est un gumbo q'arette pas!

The Cardinal Blues

The way the the callers to the Tasse de Cafe Radio program speak French is so beautiful, it's like poetry. The following is transcribed from a conversation I recorded last week of the callers talking about different birds.


Les Blues des Cardinaux

Comment tu dis cardinal en français?
Mais, cardinau!

J'en avais un dans mon cours la semaine passée
j'voulais prendre un portrait.
Monsieur a gone
avant j'peux l'attraper le portrait et l'a'oir
il s'est sauvé!
il té 'près scout around
il va r'venir!
je vas peut-être pas le 'oir
Mais il va r'venir!
un vaillant tite oiseau
c'est joli pour les 'oir
et c'est pas souvent tu les 'oir
Tu les 'ois pas un tas!
Mais c'est joli pour 'oir
 Ça aime faire leur 'tite chanson bien tranquil 
Ça donne les blues d'attendre ça
Ça donne l'envie danser!

!