Translated by Jose Wautlet
A voyage to the home of the Walloons in Wisconsin .... first article in a series of five sent to me by Mm. J.P. Gerard. These articles were published in the paper in Namur, Belgium, after the return of the group who spent some time here last summer. I offer my translation to the best of my meager ability:
-=partial excerpt=-
Because of their citizenship, The Wallons have adopted English throughout, but meanwhile they have preserved their Wallon. It is a Wallon so pure; it is similar to the dialect of the Wallon center spoken from Jadoigne to Meux. But in the meantime, they have adapted English words when referring to of modern inventions as, "calling" on the telephone, "broadcaster" on the radio "locking the car" etc.
September 19, 1974 Door County Advocate
Belgians can't believe visitors really American
By Jose Wautlet
-=partial excerpt=-
You cannot imagine the looks on people's faces here when they hear us speak in their native language. They stare and smile unbelievingly. They cannot believe that after a hundred and twenty years of separation, we have returned here still speaking the local patois. In fact, some will not believe that we really have come from America.Yesterday I spoke to a lovely young woman on the street In front of a market. She kept asking it again and again. Finally, I asked her to write her name and address in my notebook and promised to send her a card from America. Then she will believe!
Many of them have told us that we speak Wallon better than they do, and it is understandable. Through the years they have absorbed French words into their speech, where ours has remained the pure Belgian Wallon of this area.
