California accents

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
2,122
Location
California
In the southwestern United States, we're generally not known for having an accent. However, there are a couple that I hear from time-to-time. First, of course is the Spicoli-type pothead surfer accent. I do hear that, but not too often. Maybe I'm not traveling in the right circles.

But there's also a sort of baffling SoCal hick thing. Not like a southern hick thing at all. I remember someone telling me that they went "well watching." They weren't watching holes in the ground fill up with water, they were watching whales. I heard a female employee at a pizza place talking on the phone: "Okay, so that's two mill dills?" Meal deals, of course. People talk about the whills on their cars, or maybe that their hill (part of the foot) hurts. My friend just got out of jell. You know, where they keep drug dillers.

People with this accent, even when middle-aged, will often refer to something they like as "bad" or "sick". "Hey, you saw wells when you were out fishing? Sick! That's dope!"

When my kids were little, we worked on this. "Say whaaale. Wheeel. Heeeel." Fortunately it seems to have mostly worked.
 
California is the land of earthquakes and idiots. Watch Mark Dice youtube videos.
 
I think it's more about being a dumb arse than having an accent. I was born and raised in San Diego and know exactly what you are talking about.
 
In Southern California you won't have to worry about accents or bad grammar in spoken English among young people much longer. Kids don't have to pass English classes to graduate and Spanish is becoming the dominate language. And none of this is needed to text on a smart phone or to learn phrases like, would you like to supersize your order.
 
Are you sure this isn't a variant of the COUNTRY-WIDE ghetto-accent? You know, that accent that lets everyone know how hard you are, even if you were raised in an upper-class white (neighbor)hood?
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Southern California is the land of earthquakes and idiots. Watch Mark Dice youtube videos.


Fixed. CA is truly two different states, with one (Southern dominated) government. We should fix that.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
In Southern California you won't have to worry about accents or bad grammar in spoken English among young people much longer. Kids don't have to pass English classes to graduate and Spanish is becoming the dominate language. And none of this is needed to text on a smart phone or to learn phrases like, would you like to supersize your order.


Ironic that in making your point, you didn't use the English language correctly.

In any case, there is no official language in the constitution so it seems we are out of luck.
 
When I was growing up (the 1970s) when something was good,great,etc,we always sad "Man that's neato!!" or "Man that's bad!!" Haha. I guess every generation has it's own "words".

In the 50s is was a put down to adults to call them "daddyo" (ever see the movie Blackboard Jungle? I love that movie!).

In the 60s,if you liked something,it was "Boss!!".

Then in the 80s,seemed chicks everywhere were wannabe "Valley Girls" and to this day the "pampered never had to hold a job types" still use this fake accent.
 
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: CT8
Southern California is the land of earthquakes and idiots. Watch Mark Dice youtube videos.


Fixed. CA is truly two different states, with one (Southern dominated) government. We should fix that.
thanks for the correction. Lots of Bay area people as well.
 
I see California as two distinct regions. Northern California "NorCal" and Southern California.

"Extreme northern residents have felt under-represented in state government and in 1941 attempted to form a new state with southwestern Oregon to be called Jefferson, or more recently to introduce legislation to split California into two or three states."
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Only accent here is f-bombs in every sentence


Hah, I've noticed that same thing in the Pittsburgh, PA area. I'm pretty bad myself, but they take the cake.
 
Originally Posted By: Benito
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
In Southern California you won't have to worry about accents or bad grammar in spoken English among young people much longer. Kids don't have to pass English classes to graduate and Spanish is becoming the dominate language. And none of this is needed to text on a smart phone or to learn phrases like, would you like to supersize your order.


Ironic that in making your point, you didn't use the English language correctly.

In any case, there is no official language in the constitution so it seems we are out of luck.


That's because I'm a product of the same system and not a privileged member of a better class of people like yourself.
 
I'm a firm believer that it's your parents that have the biggest impact on your education. Either directly or indirectly in how they support the school.

We focus too much on the system and curriculum. Everyone needs to continue learning after school and they themselves are responsible for that.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Only accent here is f-bombs in every sentence


Where I work, the f-bomb is the new 'um', as in, it's used as a place holder when the appropriate thought can't be conveyed quickly enough to preclude a pause in speech. Instead of 'um', the f-bomb is substituted.

For a typical sentence, like, "he finished his maintenance, and then he started f'ing..." I like to interject something like, "Wait, who was f'ing? That seem inappropriate..." before they complete the f-pause and continue with the rest of their thought.
 
Not being a Native of California, I've noticed a tendency to add an S to the end of place names. as well as the wide proliferation of the use of "what", when no question is asked.

Apparently my attempts to speak in full sentences is quite confusing to many, and they cannot understand speech without slang or cursing
 
There are more regional accents than just "So Cal". I notice a SF Bay Area-Sacramento accent with words such as hella and fewd (food). In Southern California the freeways are "the 101," "the 5" etc. Somewhere north of Salinas "the 101" freeway becomes "101" in vernacular.

There is also a rural/cattle/farmer accent that sounds a bit Texan.

California has three distinct regions; southern, central, and northern. The Central Valley, because it is heavy in agriculture, is different than the rest of the state.
 
Silly Happens.......

Still fun, sight seeing, wine tasting and good eats to be had in California.

If you can't dig it, get off the river........
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom