ɪn kˈɑːŋɡɹəs, hiː kəndˈʌktᵻd bˈɪznəs ɪn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ, ɔːlðˈoʊ dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə dᵻbˈeɪt ˌoʊvɚ ðɪ ᵻlˈɛkʃən əvə spˈiːkɚ fɚðə θˈɜːɾi sˈɪksθ kˈɑːŋɡɹəs, bˈuːlɪɡni ɹᵻspˈɑːndᵻd tʊ ɐ kwˈɪp fɹʌm ˈɛmɚsən ˈɛθɹɪdʒ, hˌuː hæd sˈɛd hiː kˈɔːld "ˈɛvɹi mˈæn maɪ fɹˈɛnd hˌuː wˈɛɹz ɐn ˈɑːnɪst fˈeɪs, spˈiːks ðɪ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ, swˈɛɹz baɪ ðə hˈoʊli bˈaɪbəl, ænd dʌznˌɑːt spˈɛl kˌɑːnstɪtˈuːʃən wɪð ɐ kˈeɪ," baɪ ˈæskɪŋ ɪf hiː wʌz ɛksklˈuːdᵻd fɹʌmðə ɹᵻmˈɑːɹks "bɪkˈʌz aɪ duːnˌɑːt spˈiːk ðɪ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ.
In Congress, he conducted business in English, although during the debate over the election of a speaker for the 36th Congress, Bouligny responded to a quip from Emerson Etheridge, who had said he called "every man my friend who wears an honest face, speaks the English language, swears by the Holy Bible, and does not spell Constitution with a 'K,'" by asking if he was excluded from the remarks "because I do not speak the English language.