Louisiana: Of false etymologies and misleading education (1 Viewer)

[dtc]

Growing up, my elementary school teachers constantly told the factually incorrect story that the state of Louisiana was named for King Louis and his wife Queen Anna. This was something we were always told, and since we were stupid, young children we believed it. Just about everyone I know in my age group recalls hearing this story at one point or another.

Of course, this story is in no way true. "Louisiana" is an Anglicization of "La Louisiane," which translates to "Land of Louis." Louis XIV did not have a wife named Anna. His first wife was Maria Theresa and his second was Françoise d'Aubigné. His mother WAS Anne of Austria, but she had been dead for quite a while when La Salle explored and named the region and her name has nothing to do the name of the state.

Anyway, I've always wondered how prevalent this bit of folk etymology is. Was it something you were told in school? Are they still teaching it? Just curious.

I was taught the exact same thing and told that the "i" between Louis and ana was meant analogous to "&".

 

[St. Widge]

Second, I do not believe that Humans evolved from lower life-forms. I believe God created humans as a very unique part of his creation.

Yeah, but you also believed the Louis and Anna thing.

 

[efil4stnias]

How did the conversation get moved to an evolutionary debate from a poster asking about history classes? .

evolution.

 

[SaintJKA]

The first Mother Superior of the Ursulines, Mother Tranchepain, spelled it "La Loüisienne" in her letters back to France, like the one she wrote in 1728, just 10 years after the founding of New Orleans.

 

[Sun Wukong]

The first Mother Superior of the Ursulines, Mother Tranchepain, spelled it "La Loüisienne" in her letters back to France, like the one she wrote in 1728, just 10 years after the founding of New Orleans.

Standardized spelling was still a bit in the future at that point. If you look through records from that period you'll see all kinds of variant spellings for locations.

 

[ExVASaint]

I thought it was named after Louis XIII and his wife Anne of Austria

 

[PayOrPlay]

Louis XIV had no Queen Anna, but oddly enough, the Louisiana Museum of Art near Copenhagen, one of the leading modern art museums in the world, isn't named for any of the Kings Louis, nor for the Bayou State:

"The name of the museum derives from the first owner of the property, Alexander Brun, who named the villa after his three wives, all named Louise."

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sun Wukong]

I thought it was named after Louis XIII and his wife Anne of Austria

Nope, it was named for Louis XIV.

 

[kcirdor]

Nope, just don't like pointless, stupid memetic fads. People can't even tell you WHY they're making Harlem Shake videos outside of "Well, other people are doing it." That's pretty dumb.

I am curious what is your take on the use of the SR.com MEME of Poll Tacoes? Does the explanation that someone once miss spelled Tacoes as PolE option also equate to "well other people are doing it"?

Is it only viral memes that boil your blood?

Damn 5 years since the Harlem Shake, already?

 

[tomwaits]

My elementary school teacher in 2nd grade told us the Queen Anna thing. I think she was also the teacher that told us that after you microwave food, you have to let is sit for 2 minutes because there is active microwave radiation in the food and it needs to dissipate.

Of course microwaves were still kinda new for residential use in 1982.

 

[superchuck500]

I ain't never learnt no Queen Anna story.