Lagniappe, S'il Vous Plait

A lagniappe, perhaps.

I've broken the code of silence surrounding Prairieville's French-influenced culture. One of the insiders used a word I'd never heard: LAGNIAPPE, pronounced "Lan-yap." It means a little something for good measure, and usually applies to a purchase. A "baker's dozen," that is, receiving a 13th doughnut for free, is a clear example of langniappe. I'm thinking that taken to a higher level it could be great. Perhaps if you order a dozen Ford Explorers they might throw in a Ford Fiesta. I like lagniappe, and I'm taking it back to Indiana with me.

My son tells me that there are some phrases used here that are part of the Louisiana culturescape. For instance it's not unusual to hear one man address another as "babe," and not necessarily on a balcony in the French Quarter. It's used when men are back-slapping each other and saying things like, "Nice headlights, Babe!"
In Indiana, that would be said as,  "Cool light-up things, Dude!"

A buggy for making groceries

I've also learned that when  the natives here go to the grocery store they are "making groceries," and that they carry their selections about the store in a "buggy."

It took some time for my family to adjust to the Indiana dialogue when we first arrived there. Since Madison is right on the Ohio River, we could see Kentucky from our front porch. As a result, the language has been infected somewhat by the "hilljacks," also known as "hillbillies." The words, "Tar," and "Tar," may sound alike but they refer to gooey black stuff in the first case and a tall metal structure, as in the Eiffel Tar, in the second case.
 The point here is that is a state is going to have an unusual word, it should be cool, like lagniappe, not just plain stupid, like chimley, a brick structure attached to a house for Santa to come down. Everyone knows Santa comes through the front door, not down the chimley.