And the Southern Girls With the Way They Talk
Like many, I enjoy the SNL skit "The Californians." As a native, I appreciate how they get our need to enumerate our freeways, our habit of mouthbreathing during moments of stress, that our lower-rent rehabs are in Palmdale. That's the kind of detail we natives respect.
I did, however, watch it with a certain remove. I don't sound like that. Not for me the uptick at the end of every sentence, the verbal rise which can make saying your own name sound like an identity crisis.
"Hi, I'm...Quinn?"
No, I have overcompensated for that so fully that I have been accused of being the vocal model for Siri. I am woman, hear me drone. Most people assume I'm from the Upper West Side of New York; I'm fine with that. I love my city, but not for me the Los Angeles drawl.
And yet, tonight I heard myself say "I'm going to take out the trash," and thought When did the word 'trash' develop three extra A's in the middle? Without so much as a "Like, can I come back?" Los Angeles lunged back into my mouth and caused me to sound as if my plans for the rest of the year involve getting high and evening out my spray tan.
You know what I say to this?
Ermawgawd.
I did, however, watch it with a certain remove. I don't sound like that. Not for me the uptick at the end of every sentence, the verbal rise which can make saying your own name sound like an identity crisis.
"Hi, I'm...Quinn?"
No, I have overcompensated for that so fully that I have been accused of being the vocal model for Siri. I am woman, hear me drone. Most people assume I'm from the Upper West Side of New York; I'm fine with that. I love my city, but not for me the Los Angeles drawl.
And yet, tonight I heard myself say "I'm going to take out the trash," and thought When did the word 'trash' develop three extra A's in the middle? Without so much as a "Like, can I come back?" Los Angeles lunged back into my mouth and caused me to sound as if my plans for the rest of the year involve getting high and evening out my spray tan.
You know what I say to this?
Ermawgawd.
posted by Unknown at 9:05 PM
8 Comments:
At least you're aware of it. :) I didn't even know I had an accent until I volunteered at a call center, and people would immediately forget their problems to comment on my strikingly southern accent.
I'm loving the daily updates. Quinnstagrams are fun!
At least you're aware of it. :) I didn't even know I had an accent until I volunteered at a call center, and people would immediately forget their problems to comment on my strikingly southern accent.
I'm loving the daily updates. Quinnstagrams are fun!
I was living in Minnesota when "Fargo" came out. Were we mortified? Yaaaah, you betcha.
I feel the same way about my Boston accent. Most of the time, it's under control, and I don't sound like I was born and bred in Massachusetts. And then I'm tired or I've had a couple of drinks or I'm angry...all bets are off. Khakis are confused with car keys, and I'm pahkin' tha cah in tha Hahvahd yahd. =)
P.S. I'm not leaving multiple duplicate comments. It's the captcha (sp?) that never seems legible, and it seems to be re-posting my comments when it asks me to re-type it. Sorry. I'm not madly repeating comments. haha
God, I hate to be that anal person who just. Can't. Keep. From. Making. A. Correction.
But just in case the title is a reference to the Cheap Trick song that I love so much it's the ring tone on my phone (plus I'm a Southern Girl), I just have to...reluctantly...and with all due respect...offer the suggestion that the post title should maybe read "And the Southern Girls have a way with their words".
Not that it matters. At all. I *do* realize that. But that damn latent OCD rears its head at the stupidest moments.
Please, just pay no mind to me. I am, in spite of my disability, absolutely loving the Quinnstagrams.
Oh, and, having gotten a look at the Captcha, heads up for a multiple post of my stupid comment. I don't think I'm going to get it right first try. Sigh.
You can de-analize.
It's a line from the Beach Boys song Californis Girls, and is accurate. :)
I never thought of LA as having an accent, I guess because I was too concerned with getting rid of my Boston accent when I lived there. I am back East again, and unfortunately the Valley girl "like" is alive and well here, too.
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