Where does "Jock Accent" originate from?

Guest   Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:41 am GMT
I know Valley girl accent/speech originates from California's valley area.

Have you heard of Jock accent/speech before?
"Hey dude, what's up how's it hanging, man?"
"Did you catch the knicks game last night? it rocked huh"
"That's awesome, man."

This accent/speech sounds as retarded and annoying as valley girl speech to me and I wonder where this "Jock accent" originates from.

Where does it originate from and do you think it's cool?
Guest   Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:14 pm GMT
This "jock" accent that you speak of is rooted in California surfer slang.

http://www.cougartown.com/surf-slang.html
guest   Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:59 pm GMT
<<This accent/speech sounds as retarded and annoying as valley girl speech to me and I wonder where this "Jock accent" originates from.
Where does it originate from and do you think it's cool? >>

I think it sounds alright. In fact, I rather like it. My only problem is when people use it pretentiously, which makes me feel awkward and uncomportable.
guest   Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:01 pm GMT
...cont.
Keanu Reeves is a good example of it not sounding like it fits the man...
Bill in Los Angeles   Fri Jun 06, 2008 5:41 pm GMT
A large portion of the surfer lexicon has passed into the standard every day California vocabulary. But the stereotype "keanu Reeves/Jeff Spicoli pronunciation" seems to be limited to people who have developed the habit of talking like their stoned all of the time. I went through a period in my mid-teens when I was stoned so much of the time that I talked like I was stoned even when I wasn't. It's not so much a jock accent as a stoner accent.

I have a friend from Leeds (UK) who lives in in Socal, he's an executive with our company... and it's great to hear him say, "Dude, I was in a meeting today with the Managing Diretor of IT and his group presented a fuckin' *gnarly* interface that will eventually replace what we're using today. I didn't stay til the end of the meeting though. I bailed early to grab some munchies."

And it's not pretentious because he's merely speaking in the vernacular of our place and generation. It's pretty awesome, or bitchin', as it were.