Los Angeles/California Accent

[R-Tistic]

Where in tha hell did L.A. or California's accent originate? It might sound dumb, but I just wonder where we got our accent from, since most people in California's parents and grandparents came from the South. I am mainly talkin about the African American's acccent...it's obvious that the hispanic accent is basically a mix of english with spanish dialect.
Some people in CA claim we don't have an accent...I didn't really think so until I moved to FL for college. Not everybody in CA has an accent, but there is one its just harder to explain that any other regions in America.

[Kaidy]

well a lot of Californians came there in the mid to late 1800s from all across America so I guess the accent is a sort of hybrid. And yea the Blacks came from the South and I guess were integrated to some extent with the Whites, but only after the 1940s and 50s when deed restrictions were ruled illegal and Blacks could legally buy homes in the same neighborhoods as whites.

[TOOTHBRUSH]

mosty people in california white and black are known for havin a kind of accent but it's more people talk alot slower and just alot more laid back and shit...and yeah the black thing is a combination with from the south

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Uhhh...I never knew we had an accent ...LoL

[R-Tistic]

true....most likely it is a hybrid of things just like hispanics accent. But yeah we do have one...it isn't somethin u can really explain, but u realize it if u hear a l.a. person talk with somebody from different cities. It sounds to me most like a detroit or milwaukee accent cause some of us talk kinda "hard." Also, it is hard to tell now because everybody in the country picked up on L.A. dialect since the early 90s when we had all the movies and rappers. Shit like "heyeeeell yeah" and "daaaaayuuuum" people all around say now just like Cube and Dre, maybe not as emphasized but u kno what i mean. We draw words out basically. I notice with myself, I have no accent when I talk to adults, but around people my age, or when I get mad, the "L.A." comes out when I talk...I notice that with a lotta people.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Really...If you turn on the TV, I bet you 99% of the people will have the same accent as us people from Cali...WE HAVE NO ACCENT!!!!

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Really...If you turn on the TV, I bet you 99% of the people will have the same accent as us people from Cali...WE HAVE NO ACCENT!!!!

[ZILLA THA GOODFELLA]

I dunno about an L.A Accent.....but in tha bay there's alot of heads who talk in slang, that shit started here.....No influence from south or wherever.....

[IKON]

i was talkin to tonguetwista(from this board and he lives in orlando) anyways he was out at daytona for spring break and he noticed that black peeps from cali did have an accent, totally different than over there

go figure

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

No shit...Black people in Florida talk white...LoL

[Enigma]

It is true, there is an LA accent. I was out in Philly for the winter, and I was hanging around my cousin and her friends. They were all tripping out saying I have an "accent", and in my opinion I have no accent. The reason I thought that is because I'm used to being around people from the LA/Southern Cali area and haven't been around much else. But it's true, there is an accent.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Okay...Kobe is from Philly, and I speak in the same accent as him...This makes no sense whatsoever...Will Smith is from Philly, and he doesn't have an accent any different than anyone I know from LA...Enigma, I think it's just you...LoL

[R-Tistic]

Man.....the prime example of L.A. accents are from rappers...listen to Ice Cube, Mack 10, Snoop a lil bit, WC, Tray Dee and Goldie Locc...basically all the gangsta rappers. Notice also I said "African American" L.A. accent, because most caucasians don't speak with the same accent as us at all. Yeah it doesn't sound like much of an accent to us till we go somewhere else. Now the thing is that it is not a strong accent, and not everybody has as strong of one as some do. Gangstas have it the most, but even people who don't bang tend to have it a lot, u can even hear it in some Oakland nigg*s when they talk.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Oh...You're talking about a black accent...Yea, it's basically called "speaking ghetto"...It's not exactly an accent...LoL