Pronounciation of Cajuns names

krc1995

Heisman Trophy Winner
Eleven years into working in a Louisiana school system, I still struggle with these dang French-Cajun-Spanish names.  Few names are pronounced the way they look.  I'll start a few easy one:

How would you pronounce:

Richard

Champagne

Smith

Theriot

Simon

Here's a few that are a little more difficult:

Theodile

and after our own all Big 8 linebacker- Etienne, as in Leroy 

 
Eleven years into working in a Louisiana school system, I still struggle with these dang French-Cajun-Spanish names.  Few names are pronounced the way they look.  I'll start a few easy one:

How would you pronounce:

Richard

Champagne

Smith

Theriot

Simon

Here's a few that are a little more difficult:

Theodile

and after our own all Big 8 linebacker- Etienne, as in Leroy 
Here's what I got:

Ree-shard

Pass

Wut

Terri-o

Sí-moan

 
How would you pronounce:

Richard - Deke

Champagne - Shawm-pon

Smith - Smeet

Theriot - Terry-o

Simon - Sigh-moan

Here's a few that are a little more difficult:

Theodile - Teo-deal

Etienne - A-tea-en

 
Do you think Earl Campbell would go back and choose a different path?  I doubt it.  Only reason anyone knows his name is because of the way he ran the ball.  


How would you pronounce:

Richard - Deke

Champagne - Shawm-pon

Smith - Smeet

Theriot - Terry-o

Simon - Sigh-moan

Here's a few that are a little more difficult:

Theodile - Teo-deal

Etienne - A-tea-en
Not bad. 

One more syllable in terr-e-o with accent on 2nd syllable 

Etienne is 2 syllables aesh-n. Is the best way I can write it

Theodile. Toe-deal. Don’t understand why but it is

Simon- locally pronounced Cee-moan. 

Smith was a joke. There are no Smiths

 Champagne is correct. 

 
Not bad. 

One more syllable in terr-e-o with accent on 2nd syllable 

Etienne is 2 syllables aesh-n. Is the best way I can write it

Theodile. Toe-deal. Don’t understand why but it is

Simon- locally pronounced Cee-moan. 

Smith was a joke. There are no Smiths

 Champagne is correct. 


I thought I had Etienne right for sure. That’s the way they always pronounced his name when he played for us.

 
I thought I had Etienne right for sure. That’s the way they always pronounced his name when he played for us.
I know. I wonder what it was like for him to never have heard his names pronounced like he was used to. Sad update, he lives in the same town as me. My neighbor was telling me that he’s one of the “old” drunk guys that spends his days wandering up and down one of the towns worst ghetto streets and we live in a very violent town. I feel bad and wish there was an outreach program through the University. Maybe there is. 

 
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