How to Sound Like a Californian: California Accent Pronunciation Guide
Overview
Californians speak with a more open mouth, often not closing the mouth at the end of a sentence. Try this:
Say the following sentence clearly:
I can\u2019t believe you did that!
Now, say the same sentence, but leave your mouth open at the end. It sounds more like:
I can\u2019t believe you did tha!
Some Californians (especially younger ones and those from Los Angeles/Southern California) also tend to raise their voice at the end of a sentence so that the sentence sounds like a question.
\u201d I don\u2019t really like seafood.\u201d becomes \u201cI don\u2019t really like seafood?\u201d
Many Californians clearly produce the \u201cr\u201d sound, which is not true of some other parts of the United States. For example, the word \u201creally\u201d stresses the \u201cr\u201d a lot, so it sounds like \u201crrrreally.\u201d
Vowels
Californians often do not distinguish from some vowels. For example, look at the following words with the \u201ce\u201d sound:
wreck, kettle, really
In California English, these words sound more like wrack and kattle and rally.
The same can happen with the \u201coo\u201d sound. For example, think of the following words:
book, look, put
These can sound more like buck, luck, and putt.
Vocal Fry
Vocal fry is when the voice is very low and when the end of a word is pronounced in short, cut sounds. You\u2019ve probably never heard of it. . . but you\u2019ve probably heard it.
The Cali accent is most commonly associated with women but what about the guys? The truth is that the California accent is most often attributed to females; however, men of course have an accent as well. They take on many of the traits that are expressed by women.
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