Parrain and Marraine
Informant info: Erin Fell, age 21, New Orleans, Louisiana
Verbal Lore: Slang
Language: French, Cajun French
Country of Origin: France
Social / Cultural Context: The term is used particularly in Cajun families in a everyday context to refer to their godfathers and godmothers.
Transcript:
“I have a few New Orleans slang words that I want to share with you today. The first one is Parrain and Marraine, um those come from the French words Parrain and Marraine and they mean Godfather and Godmother. For example, I’m going to go see my Parrain and Marraine for the crawfish boil.”
Collector’s Comment: This term is used like Auntie, but in reference to godparents. So in Cajun families who are particularly close to their roots they use the phrase in an everyday environment. The word itself is another pronunciation of French Words and the change in pronunciation is what makes it slang.
Key words:Parraine, Marraine, New Orleans, God Parents
I’ve never heard “Marraine” before, but I like it. Everyone I’ve ever heard calls their godmother “Nanny.” I’ve also never heard someone anglicize Parrain with an N-sound at the end. We say it with a kind of nasal vowel sound at the end and no N-sound. (my grandmother is from Whitecastle and my grandfather is from Avoyelles)
I was taught the exact same thing almost , except I didn’t know there was a Cajun French word for Godmother , I’m 62 and just learned something new , thank you , my Dad grew up in Henderson, Louisiana , close to Breaux Bridge and about 15 minutes East of Lafayette Louisiana
At age 70 born i. St Mary parish I’ve known it as nana and parraine
I must agree with Adam. Parraine is pronounce pah-reh, very nasal on the end. Godmother is NEVER marraine in the Cajun community. It is more commonly Nanny, but Nanny does not have to be just your godmother. Some women are just commonly called Nanny by the majority of the family. That person may have been the first Nanny of that generation or Nanny to several, but as children around them grew up, it was accepted to call them Nanny in general.
Agreed with the guys about pronunciation and Nanny. Thanks for let’n dem know!
I am from New Orleans and old, but my godfather and godmother were both down the bayou, between Lockport, Galliano, and Golden Meadow, and Parrain was it there, and while she was Marraine sometimes when talking, nanny was most common.
We call our god mothers nanan (nuh-nan) and our godfathers parain (pah-ran) and we’re from the west bank of nola
I’m the actual godmother to two and the adopted godmother of three. They all call me Nanny. I called my godmother Nanny as well, but my cousin called her, Nananne.
Born and raised in New Orleans, married to an Italian girl. Never knew parrain as a Cajun word. Always heard paran as an Italian term.
Cajun French and Creole and heard both growing up. Since l live elsewhere now, just hearing the terms brought a return of sweet memories. ❤️