California slang
Encyclopedia
California slang is slang
used in California English
, or which originates in California
. The slang heard in California originates from three different regions: Northern California
, the San Francisco Bay Area
, and Southern California
. Though some slang is common to the three regions, certain slang terms can help one identify from which part of California a person is.
is a slang word usually used by California's Northerners. It still can be heard in other parts of California, yet it is most commonly used by people in the North of California and not used as much in the other areas other than the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bay Area slang is influenced by Hyphy
and hip hop music
, Mexican, Asian, and Eastern European cultures.
. For example some common terms/phrases are sweet, hella, mobbing, trupunx, balls cold, amped up, intense, you're fucking up, you don't even know, man, dude, bro, "brah" or I know how that is. People will often refer to marijuana as dank, weed, or bud; it is also common to refer to a bowl of cannabis that has been expended as cashed.
, skaters, and popular Southern California sports. To be stoked, or excited about something, is slang that can be traced back to sixties surf culture, glorified in movies such as The Endless Summer
and Big Wednesday
. Words such as gnarly, rad, sick, sketch, beast, epic and buzzkill are used regularly now.
stereotype, as depicted in the 1983 film Valley Girl
, influenced the speech of Southern California locals, by popularizing the valley girl sociolect
, where the words "like", "and", "so", "whatever", and "totally" are employed as linguistic fillers
.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
used in California English
California English
California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in California. California is home to a highly diverse population, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English.-History:English was first spoken on a wide scale in the area now known as...
, or which originates in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The slang heard in California originates from three different regions: Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Though some slang is common to the three regions, certain slang terms can help one identify from which part of California a person is.
Northern California slang
HellaHella (word)
Hella is a word associated with Northern California used throughout the United States and Canada. It is a contraction of the phrase "hell of a" or "hell of a lot [of]"....
is a slang word usually used by California's Northerners. It still can be heard in other parts of California, yet it is most commonly used by people in the North of California and not used as much in the other areas other than the San Francisco Bay Area.
San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop culture slang
Bay Area slang consists of words like: ballin, holla, bounce, chillax, coochie, ginormous, hyphy, hella, ripper, cutty, scraper, perkin and many other words. The word used below, "mobbin" has made the slow transformation towards "shmobbin" as in "Hey buddy, I'm shmobbin down the hill. I'll be there in a minute."Bay Area slang is influenced by Hyphy
Hyphy
The word hyphy is Conor Devlin's preferred short word meaning "hyperactive." It was created by Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak when he used the term on an album he recorded in 1994. From the USA Today article: "Every record label was getting at us at that time, but we fumbled the ball," says E-40,...
and hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, Mexican, Asian, and Eastern European cultures.
Central California Slang
Central Californian slang tends to be an amalgamation of both Southern and Northern Californian slang, often siding toward the surfersSurf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
. For example some common terms/phrases are sweet, hella, mobbing, trupunx, balls cold, amped up, intense, you're fucking up, you don't even know, man, dude, bro, "brah" or I know how that is. People will often refer to marijuana as dank, weed, or bud; it is also common to refer to a bowl of cannabis that has been expended as cashed.
Southern California slang
Slang used in Southern California originates from several subcultures:Beach/Surf Slang
This is often associated with the large population of surfersSurf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
, skaters, and popular Southern California sports. To be stoked, or excited about something, is slang that can be traced back to sixties surf culture, glorified in movies such as The Endless Summer
The Endless Summer
The Endless Summer is a 1966 film in the surf movie genre.Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. Despite the balmy climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter...
and Big Wednesday
Big Wednesday
Big Wednesday is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Milius co-wrote Big Wednesday with Denny Aaberg, and it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance." The picture stars...
. Words such as gnarly, rad, sick, sketch, beast, epic and buzzkill are used regularly now.
Valspeak
The valley girlValley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
stereotype, as depicted in the 1983 film Valley Girl
Valley Girl (film)
Valley Girl is a 1983 romantic comedy film, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye, and Joyce Heiser. The film was the directorial debut of Martha Coolidge, and was the first film in which Nicolas Coppola was billed as Nicolas Cage.The American release of Valley Girl...
, influenced the speech of Southern California locals, by popularizing the valley girl sociolect
Sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language associated with a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an age group, etc....
, where the words "like", "and", "so", "whatever", and "totally" are employed as linguistic fillers
Filler (linguistics)
In linguistics, a filler is a sound or word that is spoken in conversation by one participant to signal to others that he/she has paused to think but is not yet finished speaking. These are not to be confused with placeholder names, such as thingamajig, which refer to objects or people whose names...
.
Hip Hop
People say cruise, bounce, or mob when planning on going somewhere (let's bounce/cruise to the store). People call marijuana trees, chronic, kush, ganja, buds, hydro, purple or skunk, but most commonly, it is simply referred to as "pot." "Trip" is often used to describe an overreaction (don't even trip, it's not a big deal.) "Baller," "G," and "swag"/"swagger" are all terms meaning or relating to "cool."Hippie influence
Groovy, far out, and peace (as a farewell) originated from the hippie movement in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where the free-love movement was in full force during the last few decades.See also
- Culture of CaliforniaCulture of CaliforniaThe culture of California is closely tied to the culture of the United States as a whole. However, there are features that are unique to California...
- California EnglishCalifornia EnglishCalifornia English is a dialect of the English language spoken in California. California is home to a highly diverse population, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English.-History:English was first spoken on a wide scale in the area now known as...
- ValspeakValspeakValleyspeak or Valspeak is a common name for an American sociolect, originally of Los Angeles, California, in particular Valley girls. This stereotype, which originated in the 1970s, became an international fad for a certain period...