Questions about Greek Life (from an outsider [UK])

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

^^^^^^

Huh . . . somehow never pictured you as a Valley Girl.

If you like live in California (even Northern California) too long, then like, you totally, like, start talking like a Val. For sure y'all.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by TSteven

If you like live in California (even Northern California) too long, then like, you totally, like, start talking like a Val. For sure y'all.

Speak for yourself.

[TSteven]

I am happy to know that sarcasm, self deprecating humor - and all that stuff - has not been lost on some.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Speak for yourself.

Totally.

Originally Posted by epchick

I did not hear anyone speak like a Valley girl when I was living in NorCal. Not even once.

How nice for you. And "NorCal"? Who says that?

I am so sure.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by TSteven

I am happy to know that sarcasm, self deprecating humor - and all that stuff - has not been lost on some.



Totally.



How nice for you. And "NorCal"? Who says that?

I am so sure.

I think it is a little off to make generalizations about California speech when you grew up in Kentucky and moved to the Bay Area as an adult. As someone who was born and raised in San Francisco proper, I find it insulting to attribute Valley Girl speech (which is from a different region of California) to all of California. If you had used "hella" as an example I wouldn't have mentioned it. No one I know over uses the words: like, for sure, totally gag me with a spoon, or has spoken with a Valley Girl accent. I am quite thankful I speak accentlessly

NorCal is a younger generation thing, I see decals on vehicles in Idaho and Washington that belong to students from Northern California. I'm a bit older so I don't say it, but it is now the common vernacular, as Valley Girl speech was 25+ years ago.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I think it is a little off to make generalizations about California speech when you grew up in Kentucky and moved to the Bay Area as an adult. As someone who was born and raised in San Francisco proper, I find it insulting to attribute Valley Girl speech (which is from a different region of California) to all of California. If you had used "hella" as an example I wouldn't have mentioned it. No one I know over uses the words: like, for sure, totally gag me with a spoon, or has spoken with a Valley Girl accent. I am quite thankful I speak accentlessly.

As I noted before, my initial reply was sarcastic and made in jest. Too bad that was not conveyed as well as I had hoped.

And while I may not have been born or reared here, and have only lived in the Bay Area for over twenty years, I do have a keen ear to California speech patterns. And I can report that I do hear variations of valspeak in and around the San Francisco Bay Area all the time.

For what it is worth, I found this from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. So you know it's got to be true. (That is sarcasm just in case you didn't get it. ) The bolding and underlining are mine.

Valspeak is a common name for an American sociolect, originally of Southern Californians, in particular valley girls. This stereotype originated in the 1970s, but was at its peak in the 1980s and lost popularity in the late 1990s and 2000s. Though for a brief period a national fad, many phrases and elements of Valspeak, along with surfer slang and skateboarding slang, are stable elements of the California English dialect lexicon, and in some cases wider American English (such as the widespread use of "like" as conversational filler). Elements of valspeak can now be found virtually everywhere English is spoken, particularly among young native English speakers.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

NorCal is a younger generation thing, I see decals on vehicles in Idaho and Washington that belong to students from Northern California. I'm a bit older so I don't say it, but it is now the common vernacular, as Valley Girl speech was 25+ years ago.

I will have to trust your personal experience on what is happening in Idaho and Washington. However, I have not noticed any "NorCal" decals on vehicles nor do I hear it as part of the vernacular here in the San Francisco Bay Area. From personal experience, the Bay Area residents *I* know (starting as young as preschool and beyond) refer to the area as Bay Area. Not "NorCal". But I do not doubt that there are plenty of "NorCal folk" who say it. Just like I am sure that there are NorCals (persons of NorCal?) that perhaps over use "like" now and again.

Y'all have a nice day.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by TSteven

As I noted before, my initial reply was sarcastic and made in jest. Too bad that was not conveyed as well as I had hoped.

And while I may not have been born or reared here, and have only lived in the Bay Area for over twenty years, I do have a keen ear to California speech patterns. And I can report that I do hear variations of valspeak in and around the San Francisco Bay Area all the time.

For what it is worth, I found this from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. So you know it's got to be true. (That is sarcasm just in case you didn't get it. ) The bolding and underlining are mine.





I will have to trust your personal experience on what is happening in Idaho and Washington. However, I have not noticed any "NorCal" decals on vehicles nor do I hear it as part of the vernacular here in the San Francisco Bay Area. From personal experience, the Bay Area residents *I* know (starting as young as preschool and beyond) refer to the area as Bay Area. Not "NorCal". But I do not doubt that there are plenty of "NorCal folk" who say it. Just like I am sure that there are NorCals (persons of NorCal?) that perhaps over use "like" now and again.

Y'all have a nice day.

They have the decals on their vehicles because they aren't living at home. You don't need to advertise where you're from if you're currently there. Idaho plates are designated by county, so everyone knows where your car is registered, and a general area of where home is (except some kids from Sandpoint have those oval stickers with three letters SPT, but that's Bonner County, and kind of special). Washington doesn't do that, but the NorCal stickers are mostly used by athletes, as many student athletes are from Northern and Southern California at both UI and WSU. The Alaskan kids have Alaskan Grown stickers, and it is just how people identify their home while away from it.

I don't know where and who you're hanging around, but for my social group, the "like" speech was not acceptable, and as I said, no one I know speaks that way. Most of my cohort is still living in the Bay Area, as I was one of the few to leave for more than four years. Perhaps it is a San Francisco proper thing, Glitter650 and LucyKKG could weigh in on it as they are local but not the same zip or area code. Likely I'm just an anomaly, as every kid I grew up with.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

They have the decals on their vehicles because they aren't living at home. You don't need to advertise where you're from if you're currently there. Idaho plates are designated by county, so everyone knows where your car is registered, and a general area of where home is (except some kids from Sandpoint have those oval stickers with three letters SPT, but that's Bonner County, and kind of special). Washington doesn't do that, but the NorCal stickers are mostly used by athletes, as many student athletes are from Northern and Southern California at both UI and WSU. The Alaskan kids have Alaskan Grown stickers, and it is just how people identify their home while away from it.

Are the decals similar to the national car stickers used in Europe?



Ironically, while trying to find a picture, I found this.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I don't know where and who you're hanging around, but for my social group, the "like" speech was not acceptable, and as I said, no one I know speaks that way. Most of my cohort is still living in the Bay Area, as I was one of the few to leave for more than four years. Perhaps it is a San Francisco proper thing, Glitter650 and LucyKKG could weigh in on it as they are local but not the same zip or area code. Likely I'm just an anomaly, as every kid I grew up with.

Did no one in your social group ever slip and used the "like" speech? If not, there must have been some interesting conversations. Makes me think of Winona Ryder trying to speak with a British accent.

Personally, my "social group" does not actively use the "like" speech either. However, I am never shocked when I hear a peer (or myself) slip and use something from "like" speech. I simply attribute these slips of "like" speech to having been exposed to it. Because a "watered down" version seems to flow freely from many "locals". I only have to ride BART or MUNI to get a healthy dose of it. To be clear, I am in no way saying that everyone or even the majority of Northern Californians use "like" speech. But many of the little valspeak phrases do pop up in the general population.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by TSteven

If you like live in California (even Northern California) too long, then like, you totally, like, start talking like a Val. For sure y'all.

I did not hear anyone speak like a Valley girl when I was living in NorCal. Not even once.