Tag Archives: california accents

When Americans Imitate Canadians

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Ben

Last weekend’s Saturday Night Live featured, naturally, a Rob Ford sketch. As SNL has (I believe) no Canadian cast members currently, American actors Bobby Moynihan and Taran Killam played Ford and a CBC interviewer, respectively. (What might Dan Aykroyd have done with Ford … Continue reading →

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 46 Comments

The Speech of Old L.A.

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Ben

My grandmother grew up in Los Angeles. Her L.A. was not the L.A. of contemporary stereotype. It was a city with one of the world’s finest rail systems, gracious Victorian homes in forgotten neighborhoods like Bunker Hill, and a bustling … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Canadian Vowels vs. California Vowels

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Ben

Canadians and Californians share more than a few passing similarities, speech-wise. After all, it didn’t take much suspension of disbelief to buy Canadian Keanu Reeves as a Valley native in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. (L.A. natives would probably disagree … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , , , | 36 Comments

What’s with the Western US and Velars?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Ben

I’d like to address something that has frequently been brought up in the comments.  One of the most salient (and ‘exotic’) features of accents in the Western US is the way vowels behave before voiced velar consonants (i.e. ‘-g‘ and ‘-ng‘).  This … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged , | 34 Comments

California English and the “Gay Accent”

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Ben

Is there such a thing as a “gay accent?”  I wouldn’t even touch this question were there not a decent amount of scholarly research about it.  The notion of “talking gay,” after all, is a staple of homophobic parody.   So … Continue reading →

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Posted in American English | Tagged | 40 Comments