Yat ( New Orleans ) Yat refers to natives of New Orleans who speak a particular dialect of English as well as to that manner of speaking . The name comes from the common use amongst said people of the greeting , `` Where y'at ? `` ( Where you at ? ) , which is a way of asking , `` How are you ? `` The Yat dialect sounds similar to that of Brooklyn , New York natives , with a dash of Kreyol Lwiziyen and Southern American English . While the term Yat is usually reserved specifically for the strongest varieties of the New Orleans dialect within the city , the term often refers specifically to speakers of Yat , outside of the city proper , and around the rest of Louisiana , it is often used as a colloquial demonym for any person from New Orleans . History The origins of the accent are described in A. J. Liebling 's book , The Earl of Louisiana , in a passage that was used as a forward to John Kennedy Toole 's well-known posthumous novel about New Orleans , A Confederacy of Dunces :     There is a New Orleans city accent . . . associated with downtown New Orleans , particularly with the German and Irish Third Ward , that is hard to distinguish from the accent of Hoboken , Jersey City , and Astoria , Long Island , where the Al Smith inflection , extinct in Manhattan , has taken refuge . The reason , as you might expect , is that the same stocks that brought the accent to Manhattan imposed it on New Orleans . `` You 're right on that . We 're Mediterranean . I 've never been to Greece or Italy , but I 'm sure I 'd be at home there as soon as I landed . `` He would , too , I thought . New Orleans resembles Genoa or Marseilles , or Beirut or the Egyptian Alexandria more than it does New York , although all seaports resemble one another more than they can resemble any place in the interior . Like Havana and Port-au-Prince , New Orleans is within the orbit of a Hellenistic world that never touched the North Atlantic . The Mediterranean , Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico form a homogeneous , though interrupted , sea .     Historically , New Orleans was home to people of French , Spanish , and African heritage , which led to the creation of Kreyol Lwiziyen . With the Louisiana Purchase , the dominant language of New Orleans gradually became non-rhotic English . The influx of Irish , Italian , and German immigrants during the 19th Century , along with New Orleans geographic isolation by water , led to the creation of a new local dialect , often called Yat . The resulting dialect is often confused by non-locals as that of Brooklyn , New York . This is probably due to the fact that New York dialect developed very similarly to the way Yat developed as both New York City and New Orleans were major ports of into the United States by similar immigrant groups . It is a common misconception that that the local dialect of New Orleans is Cajun . While certain Cajun words , such as jambalaya , have been incorporated into the vocabulary of Southern Louisiana , Cajun culture has had relatively little influence upon Yat . The confusion of the Cajun culture of Southern Louisiana with the Creole culture of New Orleans is largely due to the merging of these French cultures by the tourism industry . This distinctive accent is dying out generation by generation in the city but remains very strong in the surrounding Parishes . However , Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season , and its resultant mass evacuation of New Orleans and other areas along the Mexican Gulf has further endangered the preservation of these dialects. [ citation needed ] Local Variance The Yat dialect is the most pronounced version of the New Orleans Accent . Natives often speak with varying degrees of the Brooklyn-esque accent , ranging from a slight intonation to what is considered full-on Yat . As with all dialects , there is variance by local speakers due to geographic , ethnic , racial , and social factors . This results in many different levels of Yat throughout the city , marking distinct differences between higher-income people , lower-income White Americans , lower-income African-Americans , and Creoles . In African-American varieties of Yat , there has been influence of African American Vernacular English on Yat . Yat tends to differ in strength and intonation from neighborhood to neighborhood , regardless of race . Longtime New Orleans residents can often tell what New Orleans neighborhoods other residents are from by their accent . Speakers of this dialect originated in the Ninth Ward , as well as the Irish Channel and Mid-City . While some remain there , most have migrated to the suburbs of St . Bernard Parish , such as Arabi , Chalmette , Meraux , and Violet . Slighter intonations of the dialect can be heard throughout the city , and the suburbs of Metairie and Kenner . As with many sociolinguistic artifacts , the dialect is usually more distinct among older members of the population . New Orleans accent in popular conception The characters `` Vic & Nat'ly '' by local cartoonist Bunny Matthews are stereotypical Yats . The distinct New Orleans dialect has been depicted in many ways throughout the city and America . The main character of the cartoon strip Krazy Kat spoke in a slightly exaggerated phonetically -rendered version of early- 20th Century Yat ; friends of the New Orleans-born cartoonist George Herriman recalled that he spoke with many of the same distinctive pronunciations . Benny Grunch and the Bunch recorded an album known as the 12 Yats of Christmas , which is one of the truest expressions of Yat language and culture . The songs explain much of the local customs and traditions of New Orleans and the surrounding areas , but perhaps raise as many questions as they answer for outsiders , due to the fact that the lyrics are mostly in Yat . The local CBS affiliate , WWL-TV Channel 4 usually broadcasts videos of the songs during the Christmas holidays during their evening newscasts and via the station 's website . Actual New Orleans accents were long seldom heard nationally ( New Orleanians who attained national prominence in the media often made an effort to tone down or eliminate the most distinctive local pronunciations ) . Movies and television shows set in New Orleans generally make the mistake of imbuing the characters with a generic `` Southern '' accent , or a `` Gone With the Wind '' accent , or a Cajun accent ( heard in South East Louisiana , not in the city ) , much to the amusement or annoyance of New Orleanians . The national attention the city received from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 gave many people from elsewhere in the nation a chance to hear people speaking with New Orleans accents for the first time . Notes ^ Toole , John Kennedy ( 1980 ) . A Confederacy of Dunces . Baton Rouge : LSU . ^ Liebling , A. J. ( 1970 ) . The Earl of Louisiana . Baton Rouge : LSU . References Liebling , A. J. ( 1970 ) . The Earl of Louisiana . Baton Rouge : LSU. ISBN 0807102032 . Toole , John Kennedy ( 1980 ) . A Confederacy of Dunces . Baton Rouge : LSU. ISBN 0807102032 . External links Benny Grunch and the Bunch Website Benny Grunch and the Bunch Yat Song Lyrics Lexicon of New Orleans Terminology and Speech WWL-TV website Categories : Articles with unsourced statements | American English | New Orleans culture | St . Bernard Parish , Louisiana There is a New Orleans city accent . . . associated with downtown New Orleans , particularly with the German and Irish Third Ward , that is hard to distinguish from the accent of Hoboken , Jersey City , and Astoria , Long Island , where the Al Smith inflection , extinct in Manhattan , has taken refuge . The reason , as you might expect , is that the same stocks that brought the accent to Manhattan imposed it on New Orleans . `` You 're right on that . We 're Mediterranean . I 've never been to Greece or Italy , but I 'm sure I 'd be at home there as soon as I landed. '' He would , too , I thought . New Orleans resembles Genoa or Marseilles , or Beirut or the Egyptian Alexandria more than it does New York , although all seaports resemble one another more than they can resemble any place in the interior . Like Havana and Port-au-Prince , New Orleans is within the orbit of a Hellenistic world that never touched the North Atlantic . The Mediterranean , Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico form a homogeneous , though interrupted , sea . Liebling A. J. A. J. Liebling The Earl of Louisiana LSU 1970 Baton Rouge http : //s50780.sites40.storefront-hosting.com/detail.aspx ? ID=330 ISBN 0807102032 Toole John Kennedy John Kennedy Toole A Confederacy of Dunces LSU 1980 Baton Rouge http : //s50780.sites40.storefront-hosting.com/detail.aspx ? ID=262p ISBN 0807102032 