Cultural English 429 - Cajun Culture; Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show; Q&A

Complete Transcript

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 429.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 429. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

On this Café, we’re going to talk about the Cajun culture and language in the United States, as well as something called the “Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.” And, as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let's get started.

We begin this Café talking about one of the oldest and most interesting subcultures in the states: the Cajun culture. “Cajuns” (Cajuns) are group of people of French descent who live in the state of Louisiana. Louisiana is located in the south central part of the United States, most famous for the city of New Orleans.

I said the Cajuns are “of French descent.” The word “descent” (descent) refers to the country or culture that members of a person's family belong to. People of French descent, like the Cajuns, have family members who many, many years ago were born in France. It could be your parents, it could be your grandparents, it could be your great grandparents, and so forth. I, for example, am of Irish and German descent. Some of my relatives many, many years ago were born in Ireland, and a few in Germany. The Cajuns are of French descent. Here's their story.

In 1632, the French sent people to an area in what is now Canada called “Acadia.” This was a piece of land in what is now eastern Canada, including the area of Nova Scotia. The people who came over from France during the early seventeenth century went to eastern Canada – what is now eastern Canada, what was then called Acadia – to set up fur trades. “Fur” (fur) is basically the hair of an animal, or the skin and hair of an animal. These animal furs were sent back to France and sold in France and other parts of Europe. The people who moved to this area called Acadia were called “Acadians.”

Acadia grew over the next, oh, hundred years or so, and by the early eighteenth century there were over 1500 people who lived there. Still, it wasn't a very large population of people. This was compared to more than 350,000 people who lived in the American colonies at that same time. As Acadia was growing, during the 1600s and 1700s, the French and British were often at war with each other. In 1713, however, the French and British signed a peace treaty. This was an agreement, a document that said that the two countries would stop fighting each other.

Part of the treaty was that the land in Acadia, which had belonged to the French, would now belong to the British. So, the British, who also of course owned the American colonies – what became eventually the United States – went to Acadia and asked the Acadians to pledge allegiance to Britain. “To pledge” (pledge) is to promise something. “Allegiance” is loyalty, is a commitment to someone or something. “To pledge allegiance” means to say, “I will be loyal to” – “I will follow and be subject to Great Britain.”

However, many Acadians refused to pledge allegiance, because they considered themselves – quite rightly, I think – to be French. Beginning in 1755, the British decided to start removing Acadians from Acadia. They basically told the people they had to leave. They sent them down to the American colonies, also owned of course, as I said, by the British. The Acadians weren't very happy with this new arrangement. Many went back to France. Many were put in different American colonies to live.

Now, the situation gets a little more complicated here, thanks to the rather complex nature of European politics during the eighteenth century. In addition to the land in eastern Canada, the French also claimed, or said they owned, a large part of what is now the central part of the United States, including most importantly an area called “Louisiana.” Louisiana is now a state in the U.S. located in the south central part of the United States, most famous for the city of New Orleans. But the territory, or land, of Louisiana extended all the way up the northern part of what is now the U.S.

In the middle of the eighteenth century, in the 1760s, France gave this land to Spain. Spain was one of its political allies, one of its political friends. Spain, then, controlled this area, this Louisiana territory, and a few years later, after the end of the American Revolution, the leaders in Spain decided to invite the Acadians – many of whom were still living in what was now the United States – to come to Louisiana and live there instead, and many of them did. Some of the Acadians who had returned to France many years ago prior to this also came to Louisiana, and there began an Acadian community in Louisiana.

Now, to make things more complicated, Napoleon in 1800 decided to take the Louisiana territory back from Spain and put it in the control of France. What happened next was that the United States bought the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 in what is called the “Louisiana Purchase.” In 1812, then, Louisiana became a state. So you have these Acadians, who had moved from Canada into parts of what was then the British colonies in the Americas, finally going to Louisiana, living in what was then Spanish territory, which then became French territory again, and finally American territory.

Now, although the Spanish owned Louisiana and then it became an American territory, the people of Louisiana were primarily French and spoke French. You would think then that the Acadians who were also of French descent would be welcomed there, but they weren't. Many people who lived in New Orleans and in Louisiana at that time didn't like the Acadians moving there. They thought they were perhaps ignorant, or not very smart. So, the Acadians, seeing that they were not welcomed by the French in New Orleans, moved to an area west of New Orleans and built their own communities. They built homes and farms, just as they had done in Acadia.

They kept their communities isolated. When we say something is “isolated” (isolated), we mean it is separated from other things – in this case, from other communities in Louisiana. The Acadians then developed their own culture separate from the culture of the other areas in Louisiana, including New Orleans. After Louisiana became part of the United States, many American English speakers moved there. Soon, the Acadians had to deal with and do business with not French-speaking inhabitants, but English-speaking inhabitants. So, the Acadians began to learn English. I don't think they had ESL Podcast back then, but they learned some English anyway.

When the Americans arrived in Louisiana, they changed the name of the Acadians. They stopped pronouncing the “a,” and eventually the pronunciation changed to what we now know it as, which is “Cajun.” Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Cajuns were able to live in their communities, continuing to speak a form of French and preserving their culture. Life in the Cajun communities was very similar in the late nineteenth century to what you can observe in the late seventeenth century. There was very little change culturally or economically in this area.

It was a very simple lifestyle. People grew food to eat, they fished, they killed animals, and so forth. They also married within their own communities so that the children were raised in the same small towns and farms. In the twentieth century, however, change came to the Cajun community. In 1916, the state of Louisiana passed a law saying that every child must go to a school that the state recognized, or believed to be a school. This meant that the Cajun children had to go to schools outside of their communities.

Then, in 1921, the state passed a law saying that all of the education in Louisiana had to be in English. The classes had to be in English. This meant that the Cajun children would spend their days speaking English at school, and not their Cajun language. As the years passed, the children began to speak the Cajun language less and less. English, of course, became the most important language for them in terms of school as well as in terms of business.

In 1968, an organization was started to help preserve the Cajun language in Louisiana. This organization developed programs to teach the Cajun people why maintaining their language and culture was important. “Cajun” itself is not the same as the French that you will hear in Paris or even in Quebec. It's a very different kind of French. One might call it a “dialect” (dialect) of French. It's a variety of French, but because of the many different linguistic influences over the years, it's certainly not the same kind of French that you would speak in France or learn in a French class, even here in the U.S.

If you say the word “Cajun” to most Americans, they may not think of the language or the area in Louisiana, but they will definitely think of food that is cooked and traditionally been popular in the Cajun areas. Specifically, there is a dish – a kind of food – called “Jambalaya,” which is a seafood dish, something made from the fish from the ocean. “Jambalaya” is a very popular dish at a Cajun restaurant – a restaurant that serves Cajun food. You can find those in Louisiana, but also in other parts of the United States including, I'm sure, here in Los Angeles.

Let’s turn to our next topic, which is something called the “Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.” Now, this is not just any dog show. It is the oldest dog show and the largest dog show in the United States. It is not only known in the U.S., but is also known in other parts of the world. People from other countries come and bring their dogs to compete or be part of this dog show.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is held, or takes place, every year in February in New York City in a large auditorium (or arena) called “Madison Square Garden,” which is a very famous building where you can go and see a concert or see other large-scale performances. This is not a performance, but rather a competition to see who has the best dog. The Westminster Kennel Club started back in 1877. A “kennel” (kennel) is a place where you can keep a dog, for example, if you are going on vacation. You can bring your dog to a kennel. It's sort of like a hotel for a dog.

The Westminster Kennel Club was called “Westminster” not because it has any relationship to London or the area in London called “Westminster,” but rather because there was a hotel where the leaders of the kennel club met named “Westminster.” The Westminster Kennel Club was very interested, when it began, in different dog breeds. A “breed” (breed) is a type of dog. The kennel club tried to set up some basic categories of dog breeds and encouraged different kinds of dog breeds here in the United States.

As was popular in other parts of the United States, the Westminster Kennel Club started its own dog show – its own competition for dogs. The first one was in 1877. It was originally called “The New York Bench Show of Dogs.” A “bench” (bench) is normally a place where you sit. However, in a dog show, it's a place where the dog has to go and stay when it's not competing. And to this day, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a benched show. The dogs go to a place and stay there while they are not in the competition. You can actually go around and look at the different dogs because it is a benched show.

The first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show had 35 breeds, or types of dogs. There were about 1200 dogs total who participated, and more than 8,000 spectators came to see the first dog show. A “spectator” (spectator) is someone who watches an event like a sporting event. That was on the first day of the dog show. On the second and third day, there were 20,000 spectators at this dog show.

The Kennel Club took some of the proceeds, or money they made from the show, and gave it to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, an organization that tries to protect animals. The Society took the money and built a home for homeless dogs and cats – what is called an “animal shelter” (shelter). The size of the dog show increased every year. In the year 2013, there were 3,200 or so dogs and more than 185 different breeds. Remember, they started with 35 breeds back in the late nineteenth century.

Not just anyone with a dog can go down to the dog show and enter the dog into the competition. Your dog has to have already won other competitions in other parts of the country in order to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The dogs compete with other dogs of similar breeds. Then the dogs are judged in larger groups, and finally the best of those groups compete against each other. The best dog, according to the rules of the competition, receives the prize “Best in Show,” meaning the best dog in the show.

I said the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is popular in the U.S., but it's also popular in other countries. The Queen of England, the Emperor of Germany, and the Czar of Russia (at least when there was a Czar) have sent dogs to compete in the show. The show is so popular, it is televised. You can watch it on television in the United States and in over 140 different countries.

If you want to go to the show, you have to pay a very high price – about $175 per person – to go to the show. The tickets are very coveted among people who like dogs. When we say something is “coveted” (coveted), we mean it is very desirable. People want it. People want to get a ticket in order to go to this show.

In the year 2000, there was a movie called Best in Show. Remember, “Best in Show” is the prize that the dog who wins the competition receives. The film, however, wasn't really about the competition. It was what's called a “parody.” A “parody” (parody) is a story that makes fun of something, that makes you laugh at something. This is what was called a “mock documentary.” “Mock” (mock) means its false. It isn't real. A “documentary” is a film that is supposed to be real. You take those two words together and you get “mockumentary,” which is a mock documentary. It's not a real documentary; it's meant to be funny.

The film makes fun of the owners of these dogs as well as their handlers. A “handler” (handler) is a person who takes care of the dog, who actually walks the dog around and helps the dog, I guess, participate in the show. It was a very funny movie, one of the funniest movies I've seen, and it was also fairly successful here in the United States. So, if you have a chance to see Best in Show, you'll learn a lot about this famous dog show and laugh as well.

Now let's answer some of the questions you have sent to us.

Our first question comes from Zarha (Zarha) in Iran. Zarha wants to know the difference between “preserve” and “reserve.” “To preserve” (preserve) means to protect something or to keep something in its current condition. You don't want it to get worse. You might try to preserve a painting. You’re not going to change it. You're not going to improve it. You're going to prevent it from getting any worse – from getting dirty, or damaged, and so forth.

“To reserve” (reserve) means to take something and save it for some special use or for some person. You can reserve a table at a restaurant. You can reserve a room in a hotel. You can reserve a ticket on a train. You are getting those things and saying, “That's going to be for me.” You are asking the restaurant, the hotel, and the train company to save you a seat, to save you a place, to save your table, so that when you get there, you can use it.

“Preserving” then, is related to protecting something from further harm or damage. “Reserving” something is saving something or claiming something so that you can use it in the future.

Our next question is actually two questions. One from Behzad (Behzad), also in Iran, and Abdallah (Abdallah) in Algeria. Their questions, which I'm going to combine into one question, are about the expressions “yada, yada, yada” and “blah, blah, blah.”

“Yada, yada, yada” is a phrase used to refer to things that are too boring to repeat. If you are telling a story to someone, and you get to a point in the story where you know the other person knows what happens next – you know the person knows what you are talking about – instead of going through and telling the rest of the story, you just say, “And yada, yada, yada.” The other person is supposed to know what you are talking about, and you're not going to talk about it because it's boring or it's something the other person already knows.

If you're telling someone what you did this morning to prepare for work, you may say, “Well, I got up, I took a shower, I had my breakfast, I shaved, yada, yada, yada.” You know the other person knows the other things you're going to talk about, and it's not very interesting, so you're not going to mention them specifically.

“Blah, blah, blah” means basically the same thing. We use it when we don't want to go into all the details of something because we know the other person already knows what they are, or because they are very boring. “The salesman told me that it was a good time for me to buy a new car because they're on sale, blah, blah, blah.” You know what I'm going to say in the story. You know what I'm going to say about what the salesman said and why he wanted me to buy a new car, so I use “blah, blah, blah” to say that there is more information, but you already know what it is. It's not very interesting for me to say it.

“Blah, blah, blah” is more common than “yada, yada, yada,” although you may hear both. Both expressions are informal. In a more formal setting, you may say something like, “and so on and so forth.” “Yada, yada, yada” and “blah, blah, blah,” when used in a conversation, often have a somewhat negative meaning. So, you have to be careful about using it. You're often saying that perhaps what the other person said is boring and you don't want to repeat it.

You might also be saying that you don't really believe what another person told you. “My girlfriend said she couldn't go to the movie with me on Friday because she had to go get her hair cut, and her mother wanted her to go over and help bake cookies, and blah, blah, blah.” The way you say it indicates that you don't really believe what your girlfriend is saying. And that’s probably a good thing, because your girlfriend is telling you she doesn't want to be your girlfriend anymore. But that's another story.

Our final question comes from Susan (Susan). I'm not sure where Susan is from. Let’s say she's from the North Pole. We don't get many questions from the North Pole. Susan wants to know the difference between the phrase “Dear Sir/Madam” and “To Whom It May Concern.” Let's start with “Dear Sir or Madam.” “Sir” (Sir) is a polite way of addressing a man, especially one in authority. It’s a very formal use. If someone says, “May I help you, sir?” That's a very formal way of talking to someone. You may use it with someone you don't know who's older than you are, for example, as a way of showing respect.

“Madam” (madam) is a polite way of addressing a woman. It's not very common anymore. I don't think it is quite as common as “sir,” but you will still hear it and, more likely, read it. “Madam” has been replaced in many ways by the term “ma'am.” “Excuse me, ma'am.” “Excuse me, sir.” Those are more common than “Excuse me, madam.” It sounds a little old fashioned to say “madam” nowadays, at least to me it does.

“Dear Sir or Madam” is what's called a “salutation” (salutation). A “salutation” is what goes at the beginning of a note or a letter – or nowadays, an email. Usually in English we begin with the word “Dear” (dear). If you know the person's name, then you would say “Dear Doctor McQuillan,” or “Dear Mr. Smith,” or “Dear Ms. Johnson.” If you know the person very well, you may just use their first name: “Dear Jeff,” “Dear Julie,” “Dear Bobby.”

If, however, you're writing a very formal letter or note, you might use the phrase “Dear Sir or Madam.” When you write it, “Sir” and “Madam” are separated by what's called a “slash” [/]like in a web address. When you are separating parts of the web address you use a slash. “Dear Sir/Madam” is how you would write it. You use that salutation when you don't know if the person you are writing is a man or a woman, but it is someone in authority and certainly a situation that is very formal. It's not that usual anymore to get notes that say “Dear Sir/Madam.”

It is still possible, however, in American business and in many other situations that involve writing a letter to someone whose name you don't know, to use the phrase “To Whom It May Concern.” “To Whom It May Concern” means “to the person who this letter is supposed to go to” – basically, to the person who is supposed to handle the situation. I don't know your name, but I want this letter to go to the one person in your organization or your company who takes care of issues such as this.

It’s a very formal phrase, just like “Dear Sir/Madam.” It's probably more popular in business settings or when writing a letter to a large organization. Again, you only use these phrases when you don't know the name of the person to whom you are writing.

From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening to this rather long Café. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.

Glossary

Cajun – a group of people who live in a part of Louisiana who have family members who came from France in the 1600s

* Cajuns are famous for their spicy food, which you can find in restaurants all over Louisiana.

descent – with family members currently or from one’s history who came from a different country or culture

* Many people in the northeastern United States are of European descent because their family members traveled from Europe in the early days of the U.S.

peace treaty – a agreement signed by two countries or people at war in which they agree to stop fighting

* Britain and the United States signed a peace treaty in 1783, which ended the American revolution.

to pledge allegiance – to promise to be faithful and loyal to a country

* When the Americans pledged allegiance to the United States after the American revolution, they promised to protect and defend the new country.

isolated – alone; separated from other people, communities, or countries

* Sally lived in a very isolated area where her nearest neighbor was over an hour’s drive away.

to preserve – to keep or to maintain something in its current condition or state

* Yvette wanted to preserve her ballet skills over the summer so she practiced for an hour every evening.

dog breed – a type or kind of dog

* One of the most popular dog breeds in the United States is the Golden Retriever, a dog that is good with children and has a lot of energy to play outside.

spectator – person in the audience of an event; person who watches an event take place

* The spectators clapped and cheered when the runners crossed the finish line.

proceeds – profits; money collected at an event that is more than what the event cost to hold

* The festival cost $5,000 to put on but earned $8,000. The organizers donated the $3,000 in proceeds to a local charity.

parody – a story that makes fun of something real by appearing as a funny version of that thing

* The children acted out a parody of their day in the classroom that made their parents laugh.

handler – a person who handles and cares for animals, especially during a performance or show

* Some handlers who work with large dogs wear sneakers during a dog show so that they can easily run around the ring with the dog.

coveted – something wanted; something one desires

* All her friends coveted Christina’s new car with it’s comfortable seats, good gas mileage, and cute style.

to preserve – (see above)

to reserve – to set something aside or to save something for someone else so that it cannot be used by another person

* Would you please call the restaurant to reserve a table for Saturday night?

yada, yada, yada – a phrase used to refer to things that are predictable, too numerous to name, boring, or repetitive

* My brother gave me a lot of useless advice for my date tonight, such as “don’t do anything stupid,” “don’t crash the car,” yada, yada, yada.

blah, blah, blah – a phrase used to refer to things that are predictable, too numerous to name, boring, or repetitive

* Lee Ann wouldn’t stop talking about her three dogs, about how cute they are, how smart they are, blah, blah, blah.

What Insiders Know

Popular Cajun Dishes

Gumbo

Gumbo is a popular dish that “originated” (began; was created in) Louisiana in the 1700’s. Gumbo is a type of thick soup that “consists of” (has in it) “stock” (liquid made by cooking meat, bones, vegetables and other things), meat and/or “shellfish” (fish with a shell, a hard outer covering), and vegetables, such as celery, onions, and bell pepper. The meat-based gumbo may include meats from chicken, rabbit, duck, or squirrel, and the seafood based gumbo normally includes shrimp, crab, and oysters.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya is another dish that uses stock and originated in the Caribbean Islands, but is now considered a Cajun “staple” (a main part of Cajun cooking). The dish is made with meats and vegetables and is completed by adding stock and rice. It is considered a “close cousin” (closely related to; having the same origins as) to the Spanish dish “paella,” a rice dish with meat and seafood. Some say that jambalaya was an attempt by the Spanish in the Americas to make paella. At that time, “saffron,” a yellow color spice, was not “readily” (easily) available there, so they used tomatoes instead of saffron.

Like gumbo, jambalaya can be made with many different kinds of meat, including chicken or turkey, as well as shrimp, crab, and “crawfish” (a small animal that lives in the ocean with a hard outer shell, similar to a small lobster), mixed with vegetables, such as green pepper, celery, and onions.

Crawfish Boil

A crawfish boil is a community event used for celebration in many Cajun communities. It is created by adding shrimp, crab, or crawfish to a large pot of boiling water. Seasoning is then added to the boil. Seasonings include “cayenne pepper” (a very spicy seasoning made with grounded chili pepper), salt, lemons, and “bay leaf” (dried leaf of the bay tree). Some people also include corn, potatoes, and onions.