Emblematic of California teen culture, the word “like” has become one of the most versatile words in the English language. It can be used to replace a verb, stall for time, describe a scenario, describe an action, express approval––the list goes on.
One, published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, which examined 263 conversational transcripts, found that “conscientious people” and those who are more “thoughtful and aware of themselves and their surroundings” are the most likely to use discourse markers such as “like”.
“As goes California, so goes the nation.” This California saying has been used for decades to describe how California is a bellwether state for national politics.
One dialect of English, mostly reported in California's rural interior, inland from the major coastal cities, has been popularly described as a "country," "hillbilly," or "twang" variety.
It's not that Californians have an accent that takes some getting used to, as in Boston, or the American South. On the contrary, the standard-issue California accent is about as plain, mainstream American English as you can get.
Their accent is indeed similar to General American, meaning it sounds to American ears like it isn't an accent at all. Everyone has an accent, however. As with most accents, the vowels are what really set Californians apart.
The archetypal character of the California surfer is embodied by Spicoli from the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The surfer speaks slowly and says things like “right on”, “dude” and “for sure.” The surfer accent is often mocked as the California accent in comedy TV programs like Saturday Night Live.
Cities such as Los Ángeles, Santa Mónica or San José are not written with an accent. In fact, it is against state law to use diacritical marks in public documents. The same thing happens with the names Ángela, Mónica and José. On official documents such as birth certificates, the accent must be omitted.
Roughly 17.5 million (44.2%) of California's population speak a language other than English at home.
Bro. This word is associated with southern California surf culture and is used as a term of endearment for guys to refer to one another. For example, “Bro, there were some killer waves this morning.”
4. “Hella” What does it mean? Hella is not some cool way to say hello, it actually means “a lot”, “very” or “really” and is a surefire indicator that you are from northern California.
Perhaps the most common—and the most unprofessional—usage of “like” is when recounting a conversation.
To drop them from your speech, replace them with pauses. Start by identifying the filler words you use too often, and then pair them with an action. For example, every time you catch yourself saying “like,” tap your leg. This word-action pairing will help you be more aware of how you speak.
Here, the word like is used as a hedge when the speaker is trying to moderate the impact of what they are saying. Using like in this way suggests that the speaker is unsure about the veracity of what they are saying or that it might be an exaggeration. As a discourse particle which is a filler.
According to a poll conducted by YouGov, Americans believe Boston is the one place in the United States with the strongest regional accent, with the Southern Coast trailing behind in second place.
“Cali” is the abbreviation used for California that only non-natives use. Not only do local Californians never use this slang, it actually rubs them the wrong way.
The 1910 Mexican Revolution also propelled the development of the area, as thousands of Mexicans immigrated to Los Angeles in the wake of the conflict. In the decades following World War II, the Eastside became predominantly Latinx as other communities moved to the city's expanding suburbs.
(term of address for a man): mate (British, Australia)
The female equivalent was "dudette" or "dudess", but these have both fallen into disuse and "dude" is now also used as a unisex term.
Daygo. “Daygo” is a slang term for San Diego. While it can be used to refer to anywhere in San Diego, it's more commonly associated with the inner city neighborhoods. Example: “When was the last time you went to Daygo?” “Been too long, dude.”
“Yeah no” is used as a response to someone, and it simply means no. “No yeah” on the other hand, means yeah or yes. There is really no reason that these are used in place of yes and no, but sure enough, it is used.
In terms of current socio-cultural mores and national politics, Californians are perceived as more liberal than most other Americans, especially those who live in the coastal or northern regions of California.