My Dear Renee-

It is true that great numbers of the Quebecoise (French Canadians,
"Cajuns", from the English place-name "Acadia") migrated south after
the dismal fall of New France to England in 1763. My New Englander
blood remembers a whisp of Quebecoise ass-kicking, even though it has
been a looong time. Call it ancestral memory. My northern neighbours
returned the favor by handing us a fine ass-kicking in the War of 1812,
but I digress...

(Well...actually...every time the U.S. has invaded Canada they have
beaten the everlovin' snotts out of us. We tend to forget that. Ever
watch them play hockey? You don't really want to mess with people like
that. They are *not* harmless snow-bunnies with funny-looking money
and better beer.)

Many Quebecoise eventually settled here in New England, where there
were jobs working in dreary cotton spinning and weaving mills for
pennies. I have neighbours here in Massachusetts with names like
Arsenault, Bouvier, Barriere. French Hugenots trying to find religious
freedom for themselves (but not anyone else) settled here, too.

And all of them will tell you, it's Hee-bert. Not 'A-ber. The
Francophones who settled here have long since learned *English*. It's
not like in Lousiana, where they have arguably forgotten how to speak
intelligible French, and wage a charming daily struggle with English.
Just ask my neighbours the Arsen-allts, the Boo-vee-errrs, or the
Barry-errs.

Or the Hue-go-nots...The father of one our greatest New England
patriots was born "De Revoire" in France. When he emigrated to
Massachusets, he sensibly changed it to Revere. As in Paul Revere.
Rhymes with beer. It's just easier that way.

Hee-bert, Renee. Hee-bert. Just like it's spelled.

Are-ree-vwar, sherry.

Alexandra in Ma

Todd: (Snicker-snicker-snicker!)
Hebert: What's funny? I don't get it. What's hockey?

[Posted in FML 6144]