California English
Linguistics prof. analyzes Blink-182 Accent
Article about regional dialect and vocal stylings in pop-punk music. Goes into non-rhoticity and California Shift (article mentions Eckert!) [Published on 06-18-2015]
Cheekface
Play videoOne of my favorite bands sings with prominent features of West Coast English. In this song especially, in order to poke fun at a certain kind of west-coaster, the singer's vowels are very fronted. There's also a notable drawn-out "r" sound in "smarter" and "more". The way he says "American imperialism" is especially hilarious.
Vocal Fry Tik Tok
This Tik Tok is a joke about vocal fry and the California accent.
Where's My Juul??
Play videoSinger Lil' Mariko parodies the "SoCal girl" dialect of English in the song "Where's My Juul??", featuring a lot of u-fronting in the words "juul" and "cool."
WARNING for loud volume, profanity, guns, and descriptions of violence in the lyrics.
Bowl cut maintenance 1000
Play videoThis is a famous video of a man maintaining his bowl cut. As far as I know he did this without it being meant to be funny, but after becoming popular for having such a strong accent, created his merch etc. He is from southern California and obviously uses variables that people associate with California. See: "deuuud" instead of "dude" etc.
Californian Shift
Play videoWe talked about the Californian and Canadian BAT retraction and SNL does a great job of exaggerating that on their skit, the Californians.
Emilia Clarke Can Talk Like a Valley Girl
Play videoDuring this interview, actress Emilia Clark puts on an "American accent" in a situation to avoid being recognized. What came out was a very stereotypical "valley girl" accent representing vocal fry. Both Jimmy Kimmel and herself laugh and all in good fun of her accent. Even pointing out, how she loved "Clueless" when Kimmel asked where the inspiration for the accent came from.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (2/10) Movie CLIP - Spicoli Meets Mr. Hand (1982) HD
Play videoExamples of the third dialect in the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
R.S.V.P. - Clueless (1/9) Movie CLIP (1995) HD
Play videoSome examples of the third dialect in the 1995 movie Clueless.
Ed Sheeran tries American Accents
Play videoIn this video, British singer Ed Sheeran is asked by a fan during a Q&A session to do his best "American Accent". He goes on to say that he can do three different ones, starting with the "Valley Girl from California" one, then moving to the "Regular" one and ending with the "Southern Draw" one. Since English is obviously one language in and of itself, but different English speaking countries have different accents. For example, Ed has a British English accent. But there are also Australian English accents, Irish English accents, and so on. There are different accents for different parts of the world, but there are also sub-accents in different parts of the same country, as shown here by Mr. Sheeran.
West Coast Speech Community
Play videoThis is an example of a speech community. In the video, she is referring to the different ways in which her speech community interacts compared to the area she is in now. Her examples should be relatable to many living on the West Coast.
The unstoppable march of the upward inflection?
A short piece speculating on the origins of/reasons for upward inflection/"Valley Girl" speech. [Published on 08-11-2014]
Dude
Play videoThis video is a Bud Light commercial using the word Dude only. This video is a perfect example of Indexicality. The simple word is used in multiple contexts as well as multiple tones to convey completely different meanings.
Talk of the Town: Dontcha Hear the S.F. Lingo?
A local San Franciscan journalist makes a (not very linguistic) case for a unique San Francisco dialect.
Why this bilingual education ban should have been repealed long ago
Sociolinguist Phillip M. Carter makes the case for repealing Proposition 227 in California, which essentially banned bilingual education in the state in 1998.
Dude, Where's my Accent?
A 2013 Portland Monthly article on recent research that the California Vowel Shift is used in Oregon English.
Shoes
Play videoThe popular YouTube video 'Shoes," which demonstrates a number of California Shifted features, including the fronting of back vowels
"California" Accent
Play videoA short YouTube submission from a native Californian, first in his native accent, then in a hyper-sytlized "California" accent.
(Enlarge image)Valley Girl: Frank and Moon Zappa
Play videoA performance of Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl," from the 1980s, featuring his daughter Moon Unit Zappa performing as a valley girl, and utilizing many features of California English.
The California Accent is Hella a Thing
This 2012 piece on Jezebel describes the voices of California Project currently in progress at Stanford. It includes an embedded clip of the SNL skit "The Californians," and the video "Shoes."
The linguistics of the East L.A. accent
A 2011 interview on Southern California Public radio about the East L.A. accent and Chicano English, with guest Carmen Fought.
Dude: Stanford Linguists Probe California Accent
Penelope Eckert and fellow researchers in California examine how English is spoken and perceived in different cities around the state in efforts to refute the stereotype that California English is accentless and homogenous.