Is it only Northern California people say "hella" instead of "very"? (San Diego: school, store)

[NickofDiamonds]

The further south that you go in California to the Mexico border, specifically around or below San Diego, the use of words become gender specific when used in a sentence.
Hella is used when it's feminine and Hello is used when it's masculine.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by NickofDiamonds

The further south that you go in California to the Mexico border, specifically around or below San Diego, the use of words become gender specific when used in a sentence.
Hella is used when it's feminine and Hello is used when it's masculine.

Emmm...hella is slang used to accentuate something. Hello is a greeting.

[breeze823]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Emmm...hella is slang used to accentuate something. Hello is a greeting.

ha, i think it was sarcasm

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by breeze823

ha, i think it was sarcasm

In here, ya never know.

[breeze823]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

In here, ya never know.

or maybe it wasn't haha

[westernsaga007]

I say hella, I have lived in Northern, Central and Southern California...it is easy and rolls of the tongue and feels like a proper descriptor, "There was hella traffic" "It's been hella days since we kicked it" etc...In all the parts of California I have lived in (Central Valley/Central Coast, SoCal and Norcal) people did use "the #" and "#", for example "I just got on the 5", "I'm almost there, just got off 17", I don't believe it is just a Bay or LA thing...then again maybe it spread from there to other places via cultural diffusion, In Northern Oregon I have seen more people attending an E-40 concert in downtown Portland than I ever saw attending in CA (I did not attend myself but one of my closest friends is a huge fan and was trying to convince me to go with him, the tickets were "hella expensive" ).

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by westernsaga007

I say hella, I have lived in Northern, Central and Southern California...it is easy and rolls of the tongue and feels like a proper descriptor, "There was hella traffic" "It's been hella days since we kicked it" etc...In all the parts of California I have lived in (Central Valley/Central Coast, SoCal and Norcal) people did use "the #" and "#", for example "I just got on the 5", "I'm almost there, just got off 17", I don't believe it is just a Bay or LA thing...then again maybe it spread from there to other places via cultural diffusion, In Northern Oregon I have seen more people attending an E-40 concert in downtown Portland than I ever saw attending in CA (I did not attend myself but one of my closest friends is a huge fan and was trying to convince me to go with him, the tickets were "hella expensive" ).

That was a great sentence.

[happycrow]

ya totes

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by EricS39

And Southern California only people say "this Chinese food is bomb"
Instead of "da bomb"?

If so, does the "hella" region and "bomb" region overlap in Central California?

If I'm in Big Sur, can I simply say "This view on the 1 is hella bomb"

Or will that not click well

Trying to be more California-ish because I want to californiacate the east coast

I have lived in So California my entire life and never heard the word "hella" used until I started visiting this forum back in 2007. Few people use the word bomb for anything, especially in the context of food. I don't know anyone that says "da bomb"

I read a post that someone mentioned in So California we use "the" before the freeway number. I don't know anyone that can say the 101, the 405, the 5 as in freeways without using the "the". When people say I was on 101 and then drove to 5 or said I am on I5, most everyone I know would think you were missing something, as in missing the "the".

I don't know anyone that calls California Cali.

[It is 57 below zero]

I'm pretty sure the phrase is also used even in other places outside of California.

In the Chicago area, there are many people, mostly teenagers, that use the term "hella" to describe a lot of something, or something that is big, or excessive. People from New York also tend to say it, that I know of.