Oldest recording of Louisiana Creole language published
The gist
Cambridge linguist Oliver Mayeux has published analysis of Lorenzo Dow Turner's 1935 Louisiana Creole field recordings.
Only a few thousand elderly native speakers remain of the language.
How it unfolded
- 1934Folklorist Alan Lomax captured snippets of sung Creole from rural Louisiana.
- 1935Lorenzo Dow Turner made field recordings of Louisiana Creole in New Orleans, Lafayette and Opelousas on 13 aluminum discs.
- 1937Alan Lomax again captured snippets of sung Creole from rural Louisiana.