translation (maybe just a Cajun word) ...

[Mike Fontenot]

There is a Cajun fiddle tune called "Jug au Plombeau". I had tried to
figure out on my own what "Plombeau" meant, using my various French and
Cajun dictionaries, but none of them had that word.

Literally, it would seem to be a concatenation of plomb and eau, which
suggests "lead-water".

I finally was told by a fiddler that, in the transcription of that tune,
the title was translated as "The Saddlehorn Jug".

My French dictionary gives "cruche" for "jug", but both of my Cajun
dictionaries give "jogue".

But none of my dictionaries has anything for "saddlehorn". I'm guessing
that saddles in France may not have "horns" on them ... maybe that's
just a U.S. thing ... cowbows need them when they rope cattle from
horseback.

Has anyone on this newsgroup ever heard the word "plombeau"?

--
Mike Fontenot

[Lanarcam]

I have found "plombeau" in a an old-French dictionary :

<http://micmap.org/dicfro/chercher/dictionnaire-godefroy/plombeau>

Plombeau see Plommel see Plomel see Pomel
At the definition of Pomel, we find as synonyms:
Pommiel, pommeau...

Pommeau can be found in the TLFi (modern French)

B. Partie antérieure, légèrement arrondie, de l'arçon d'une selle de
cheval.
(Front part, slightly rounded, of a horse saddle tree)

It sounds as if it is indeed a Saddlehorn.

[Loki Harfagr]

Sun, 01 May 2011 15:10:36 +0200, Lanarcam did cat :

"sort of a" but not exactly "a" :-)
At least if you consider that the western US saddles have no "arçon"
and that the "pommeau" is usually just a small curve, mainly made to
rest the hand(s) on and hook some stuff like rope, knife, garlic, whatever.
Now, if you compare with the closest fr equivalent to western-catling that'll
be the "camarguais guardians" and yes, the "selle camarguaise" has a
higher and more solid "pommeau" than vanilla saddles, yet not as for
a hard grip than the rodeo ones ;-)

Well, now one nice thing would be you indicate a link for a good
interpretation of that fiddle tune, I only found links to order a CD
and though the lyrics sound funny I'm not yet prepared to throw
four pints of beer to listen to it ?-)

[Mike Fontenot]

On 05/01/2011 07:10 AM, Lanarcam wrote:

> I have found "plombeau" in a an old-French dictionary :
>
> <http://micmap.org/dicfro/chercher/dictionnaire-godefroy/plombeau>

Old-French makes sense: I've heard before that Cajun French is more
similar to the French of the 1600's in France, than it is to modern
French ... i.e., Cajun French has (in some ways) changed less during the
last four or five centuries than "France French" did (although Cajun
French DID pick up and incorporate a lot of (American) English words
from the English-speakers who lived among the Cajuns in southern Louisiana).

Thanks for your help.

--
Mike Fontenot

[Mike Fontenot]

On 05/01/2011 09:04 AM, Loki Harfagr wrote:

>
> Well, now one nice thing would be you indicate a link for a good

> interpretation of that fiddle tune, [...]
>

I've never heard it myself (although I AM trying to learn to play
several Cajun fiddle tunes, in the Cajun style). I'll check with the
original poster (on a fiddle forum), and see if he knows of an online
version of it.

Thanks for your help ... I appreciate it.

--
Mike Fontenot

[Lanarcam]

I am somewhat aware of that since I was born in a part of Brittany where
we spoke a dialect (le gallo) which was more or less a version of the
French language of the 16th century. I think I could understand some
of the Cajun language although it is a long time since I haven't
spoken Gallo.

[Mike Fontenot]

On 05/01/2011 01:22 PM, Lanarcam wrote:

> I am somewhat aware of that since I was born in a part of Brittany where
> we spoke a dialect (le gallo) which was more or less a version of the
> French language of the 16th century. I think I could understand some
> of the Cajun language although it is a long time since I haven't
> spoken Gallo.

Thanks, Lanarcam.

Here's just a bit more "Cajun lore":

My last name (Fontenot) originally came from a French soldier (from
southwestern France) stationed at a French fort in Alabama in the 1600's
... his name was spelled "Fonteneau" then ... somewhere along the way,
the spelling got changed, for unknown reasons. I've been told that
EVERY Fontenot now in the US descended from that ONE soldier (and there
are a HUGE number of Fontenots in the US, mostly in southern Louisiana
... it's one of the most common names in southern Louisiana). His widow
moved to Louisiana when the British took over Alabama (Spain owned
Louisiana then). Most of the French people in Louisiana came from
Acadia in Canada, and were commonly referred to as "Cajuns". The name
"Fontenot" is considered to be one of the most common "Cajun" names, but
strictly speaking, the Fontenots aren't Cajun, because they didn't come
from Acadia ... but they are definitely regarded as being Cajun, anyway.
I suspect that most Louisianians of today probably mistakenly think
the Fontenots DID come from Acadia.
--
Mike Fontenot