His Expression

Original Acadian French

Informateur: Ah non, j’l’ai jamais vu sourire. J’ai jamais vu autchune mine. Il avait une certaine expression su’ sa face, coumme si, tu sais, asteur, t’as vu du monde-là qui stariont là, pi on arait dit qui coumme s’i’ y voyiont d’quoi qu’était pas là- tu sais.

C.C.: Ah ouai, ouai.

Inf.: Ouai, i’ s’arait mis là pis il arait r’gardé là, pis la même expression su’ sa face, jours après jours... I’ pouvait point, ouai, i’ pouvait ‘oir, y avait autchune expression su’ sa face du tout, pas une miette. J’crois, moi, qu’il avait eu une grosse choc. Ouai. Mais pour être fou, il était point fou, ah non, il était pas...

English

Informant: Oh no, I never saw him smile. I never saw any expression. He had a certain look on his face, as if, you know, now you’ve seen people who just stare, like they looking at something that isn’t there - you know.

C.C.: Ah yes, yes.

Inf.: Yeah, he’d set himself there and he’d stare and he’d have the same look on his face, day after day... He couldn’t, yes, he could see, but there was no expression on his face at all, none at all. Myself I think he had a big shock. But as far as being crazy, he wasn’t crazy. Oh no, he wasn’t...