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