Talk Like a Californian. Helena Ventura

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Talk Like a Californian - Helena Ventura

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      Talk Like a

      Californian

      CONTENTS

       Introduction 5

       Say It Right 6

       A Word About Freeways 8

       STATEWIDE 9

       NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 25

       SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 55

       HOLLYWOOD SPEAK 91

       SURF SLANG 121

       TECH TALK 137

       Index of Terms 164

      THE REAL

      CALIFORNIANS

      Despite what you see on SNL, there’s more to

      talking like a legit Californian than freeway names

      and “dude”—although don’t get us wrong, those are

      essential. But California-speak is so much richer.

      If you’re going to live in LA, for instance, you’re

      going to hear Hollywood slang, even if you never

      set foot on a studio lot. If you’ll be spending any

      time in Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach, or the Mission,

      you’ll want a basic knowledge of tech talk. And surf

      speak is so pervasive that it’s influenced how peo-

      ple talk nationwide.

      Then, of course, there’s the popular slang that

      has its roots in either Northern or Southern Cal-

      ifornia, from hella and grippa to fresh and no

      bueno. And then there are all the places and things

      to know about! What’s the difference between the

      Delta breeze and June gloom? Who plays at the

      Stick or the Roaracle? Where are OB, PV, DP, and

      SC? And, perhaps most importantly, how do you

      pronounce Jamacha, Sepulveda, and San Rafael?

      All this knowledge is found within this little

      book. Please explore and enjoy. Yee!

      5

      SAY IT RIGHT

      The Golden State is rich with Spanish names, and

      most are pronounced the way they’d be in Spanish:

      El Cajon (CA-hone), Santa Ynez (EE-nez), Mojave

      (moe-HAH-vay), San Clemente (kleh-MEN-tay).

      Exceptions abound, however, and there are plenty

      of other unusual pronunciations. If you want to

      sound like a legit local, study this list.

      BERNAL (HEIGHTS): BURR-nul

      CABRILLO: Cah-BRILLO in San Francisco,

      but Cah-BREE-oh everywhere else

      CLEMENT (STREET): Kluh-MENT

      CONCORD: KON-kerd

      CUYAMACA: Kwee-ah-mahk-uh

      DUBOCE: Duh-BOWS

      ESTUDILLO (AVENUE): Ess-stew-DILL-oh

      GOUGH (STREET): Goff

      GUERNEVILLE: GERN-vill,

      although some say GERN-ee-vill

      JAMACHA: HAM-ah-shaw

      JUNIPERO: You-NIP-err-oh

      KEARNY: Kern-ee

      LA JOLLA: Lah HOY-ah

      LOS FELIZ: Lahs FEE-liss

      LOS GATOS: Lahs GAA-toes

      MARIN: Mah-RIN

      LOMPOC: LOHM-poke

      NICASIO: Nih-KASH-oh

      NOE: NOH-ee

      OTAY: Oh-tai

      PHELAN: FEEL-ihn

      PLACENTIA: Plah-CENT-cha

      POINT REYES: Point Rayz

      PORT HUENEME: Port why-NEE-mee

      POWAY: POW-way

      RODEO (DRIVE & BEACH): Roh-DAY-oh

      SAN LUIS OBISPO: San LEW-iss Oh-bis-poh

      SAN RAFAEL: San RAH-fell

      SEPULVEDA: Se-PUL-veh-duh

      SUISUN CITY: Soo-SOON (leave out the “City”)

      VALENCIA: Vah-LEN-cha

      7

      A WORD ABOUT

      FREEWAYS

      First of all, if it has on-ramps and off-ramps, it’s

      a freeway, not a highway. Pacific Coast Highway

      (PCH) has no ramps, so it’s a highway; the 101 is a

      freeway in many sections, but in some parts of the

      state it becomes a highway. New to parts of Califor-

      nia are toll roads, which are freeways that are not

      free. They’re called simply “toll roads.”

      Secondly, it’s essential to know that in Southern

      California,

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