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I'm a Southern California native originally, and I don't think we have accents. There's the stereotypical "Valley girl" accent that was used in the 80s mainly on TV but it's non existent nowadays, or "laid back surfer bro" accent, but you can find these anywhere. We do have certain wordisms though, for example saying "Like" in every sentence, or saying “The” before a freeway name. A dead giveaway if someone is a California native, they say "like" after sentences or "hella" to describe something excessive.
So would you describe your accent to be flat like many newscasters?
I'm a Southern California native originally, and I don't think we have accents. There's the stereotypical "Valley girl" accent that was used in the 80s mainly on TV but it's non existent nowadays, or "laid back surfer bro" accent, but you can find these anywhere. We do have certain wordisms though, for example saying "Like" in every sentence, or saying “The” before a freeway name. A dead giveaway if someone is a California native, they say "like" after sentences or "hella" to describe something excessive.
Yea, I am in Austin, and I don't think there has been widespread "accents" here for at least 20 years. If you go watch videos from the 80s you will see a little Texas twang there. But, there are undoubtedly a bunch of wordisms as you put it that I don't even notice. The big ones being that we do say y'all about as often as "you guys", and there are a bunch of street names that are pronounced unusually (or incorrectly).
I don't think "like" is specific to California, but "the" before a freeway is definitely a telltale sign of a Californian.
I have a colleague from Central Europe who has a very thick accent despite having spent many years in the USA, mostly in the Bay Area. He claimed that broken English is so commonplace in the Bay Area that living there made it very difficult to learn how to properly enunciate English words.
San Francisco had a distinct accent at one point. But there's been SO much gentrification it's just not really there anymore, maybe a little bit. The blue collar class has been pushed out of there though.
The Movies. The old pictures from the 30s-40s, when all actors spoke acting-school British.
Logically, fast-growing cities would be most susceptible the loss of "old-timer" speech. If Las Vegas ever had a Southwestern drawl, it has certainly been eraseed.
It did, and it has.
The late U.S. Senator from Nevada, Harry Reid, is the best example of the historic accent in Southern Nevada.
Yea, I am in Austin, and I don't think there has been widespread "accents" here for at least 20 years. If you go watch videos from the 80s you will see a little Texas twang there. But, there are undoubtedly a bunch of wordisms as you put it that I don't even notice. The big ones being that we do say y'all about as often as "you guys", and there are a bunch of street names that are pronounced unusually (or incorrectly).
I don't think "like" is specific to California, but "the" before a freeway is definitely a telltale sign of a Californian.
I have a colleague from Central Europe who has a very thick accent despite having spent many years in the USA, mostly in the Bay Area. He claimed that broken English is so commonplace in the Bay Area that living there made it very difficult to learn how to properly enunciate English words.
Location: San Diego CA>Tijuana, BC>San Antonio, TX
6,525 posts, read 7,604,015 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by citylove101
With an influx of Hispanic residents NYC has seen a real diminution of the old-school New Yawk accent, which was often heard in white ethnic neighborhoods. But those neighborhoods are a lot smaller now. You're now more likely to randomly hear the type of English (Spanglish?) you get from Rosie Perez or AOC.
Jennifer Lopez is Hispanic and sounds pretty New Yawka to me. I know a few New Yoricans that have this accent.
Location: San Diego CA>Tijuana, BC>San Antonio, TX
6,525 posts, read 7,604,015 times
Reputation: 6910
Quote:
Originally Posted by NearFantastica
I'm a Southern California native originally, and I don't think we have accents. There's the stereotypical "Valley girl" accent that was used in the 80s mainly on TV but it's non existent nowadays, or "laid back surfer bro" accent, but you can find these anywhere. We do have certain wordisms though, for example saying "Like" in every sentence, or saying “The” before a freeway name. A dead giveaway if someone is a California native, they say "like" after sentences or "hella" to describe something excessive.
The valley girl accent still exists, its just not as pronounced as it once was. I refer to it as the North American white girl speak. In this video ,this Canadian girl has that elongated sound at the end of each phrase. Its not quite valley girl but it is in that realm.
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