u fronting
Cheekface
Play videoOne of my favorite bands sings with prominent features of West Coast English. In this song especially, in order to poke fun at a certain kind of west-coaster, the singer's vowels are very fronted. There's also a notable drawn-out "r" sound in "smarter" and "more". The way he says "American imperialism" is especially hilarious.
Where's My Juul??
Play videoSinger Lil' Mariko parodies the "SoCal girl" dialect of English in the song "Where's My Juul??", featuring a lot of u-fronting in the words "juul" and "cool."
WARNING for loud volume, profanity, guns, and descriptions of violence in the lyrics.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (2/10) Movie CLIP - Spicoli Meets Mr. Hand (1982) HD
Play videoExamples of the third dialect in the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Kathy Bates' American Horror Story Accent, explained by a linguist
A linguist's response to the internet controversy over actress Kathy Bates' attempt to produce a Baltimore accent on the TV show American Horror Story. [Published on 10-22-2014]
Highlights from "Wildwood, NJ"
Play videoScenes from a 1994 documentary about Wildwood, NJ that exemplify features of Philadelphia/South Jersey English.
Shoes
Play videoThe popular YouTube video 'Shoes," which demonstrates a number of California Shifted features, including the fronting of back vowels
Valley Girl: Frank and Moon Zappa
Play videoA performance of Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl," from the 1980s, featuring his daughter Moon Unit Zappa performing as a valley girl, and utilizing many features of California English.