A trailblazing Black linguist ’s historical audio recordings have been rediscovered more than 90 years after his vital fieldwork. Originally etched onto aluminum discs, Lorenzo Dow Turner’s recordings are now the oldest known audio clips of authentic Louisiana Creole. Although the language has all-but-disappeared from daily life, the invaluable work resurfaces at a time when researchers and Creole descendents are striving to preserve—and even revive—the unique dialect.

What is Louisiana Creole?

As a language, Louisiana Creole is a distinctly American creation. Born from the international slave trade during the 18th century, the hybrid language primarily blended the French spoken by colonists and slavers with multiple West African dialects, particularly from the Senegambian region.…