There are so many regions of the United States that are known for their strong and distinctive accents. However, California is decidedly not among these famously accented areas. Some even argue that Californians have no accent at all. But if you concentrate and listen just a little bit closer, you can hear that special Cali flavor rolling off our tongues.
A Cool California Accent
While Californians’ accents might not be quite as pronounced or renowned as a Southern drawl or Midwest twang, we still have a special sound unlike anyone else in the nation. California is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the nation. The state has a long history of immigration from all over the country and around the world.
So it makes sense that Californians have picked up a wide variety of linguistic features from speakers hailing from diverse ethnic backgrounds. And over time those linguistic elements naturally developed into new speech patterns as well that have now created a new way of speaking that is completely Californian.
Hollywood Influence
It’s argued that Californians don’t realize we have an accent because of the Hollywood film industry. That sounds a bit odd, but it makes sense. California, and especially Los Angeles, is the center of media and pop culture for most of the world. Californians, and other Americans, are so used to hearing a Californian accent on our TVs and on the big screen, that we don’t even realize we’re hearing something distinctive. Basically, we’ve all grown accustomed to our lovely Californian accents through the global spread of the American film industry.
Linguistic Variety
Of course, not all Californians speak alike. We’re lucky to have many different types of speech in the Golden State, such as Chicano English and AAVE (African American Vernacular English). And the famous Valley Girl accent has now become synonymous with the state. So when talking about a “California accent”, we’re actually discussing multiple types of dialects and accents.
California Vowel Shift
Californians have a specific speech pattern called “The California Vowel Shift.” Your tongue position can change the way vowels sound, and many Californians have “shifted” the way they pronounce vowels. Many speakers pronounce their vowels longer and lower than other English speakers. For example, the word “bit” sounds more like “bet.” Or the word “milk” sounds like “melk.” And think of the band Blink-182’s famous pronunciation of “you” that sounds more like “yewwww.”
Additionally, many Californians pronounce “pin” and “pen” exactly the same way. And the words “cot” and “caught” are typically pronounced the say way out West whereas back East these two words tend to sound differently. There’s even a term for this called the “cot-caught merger.”
The Beautiful Voices of California
The California accent is so interesting that a group of researchers from the Linguistics department at Stanford University started an entire project dedicated to the study of Californian speech patterns. It’s called The Voices of California Project. And they’re interested in “studying the great diversity of geography, people, perspectives and language in California.”
So start listening a little bit closer to the way your friends and family speak. And take a moment to appreciate the beautifully unique way that Californians express themselves.