Californian English is much different than normal English.
Ever wondered what someone meant when they said "gnarly" or why they called you "dude" when you are definitely a female?
I have noticed, since moving out-of-state, that people from all parts of the country have different slang words for different things. In situations where I would say "rad," others say "wicked," and sometimes the different slang leaves people confused by what we are trying to say.
Dude (n.) A slang word that is used all over the country. However, I feel it is used more, and also differently, here in California. People often start their sentences with "Dude..." and typically you can tell the context of what will come next just from the tone they use with that first "Dude."
Hella (adj.) Another word that tends to be stereotyped as "California slang." Although "hella" is used in California, it is mostly confined to usage in Northern California. You will rarely hear people describing something as "hella gnarly" as these two words are not used in the same geographical locations.
Solid (adj.) A word used for positive things. It usually comes out sounding like the speaker has said "salad" and can be used to describe anything from a good grade in school to waves at the beach or a favor that was done for you. Example: "Katie did me a solid by picking up my sister for me."
Rad (adj.) Another word commonly used for good things. Rad is simply another word for cool. It is interchangeable with dope (adj.), another commonly used slang word, but not necessarily interchangeable with solid. Solid is more for things that are good; rad is more for something awesome.
AF (adj.) An acronym for "as f**k." A typical sentence would sound something like, "Dude, that concert was dope af." In context, the speaker does not pronounce the A and F as two letters, rather, it is pronounced as a word, "af."
Stoked (adj.) A word not California-specific, but definitely stereotyped to Californians. Stoked means excited, but when someone says, "I'm stoked," it implies a feeling much more intense than typical excitement. Example: "I'm so stoked for the Beyonce concert tonight." Stoked can also be shortened to stoke (n.) which is more of a rush-like feeling. You can sense "the stoke" of people. Stoke is often used to describe an overall situation, for example: "There was so much stoke at the after-party last night."
None of these words are only used in California. In fact, many are used nationwide, and across the globe. But, each region has its own slang words, and its own meaning for slang that is shared across the nation. Slang tends to stereotype each region, and people from the rest of the country are left assuming that all over California there are people saying, “Dude those waves were hella gnar, bro.” in the stereotyped “surfer voice.”
