Valspeak
Encyclopedia
Valleyspeak or Valspeak is a common name for an American sociolect
, originally of Los Angeles
, California
, in particular Valley girl
s. This stereotype, which originated in the 1970s, became an international fad for a certain period. Many phrases and elements of Valleyspeak, 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 a hedge
). Elements of Valleyspeak can now be found virtually everywhere English is spoken, particularly among young native English speakers. The language has gradually become symbolic and is increasingly becoming unrelated to its original meaning.
entitled "Valley Girl
", on which Moon Unit Zappa
, Frank's fourteen-year-old daughter, delivered a monologue in "Valley speak" behind the music. This song, Frank Zappa's only Top 40 hit in the United States
, popularized phrases such as "grody to the max". Some of the terms used by Moon were not actually Valley phrases, but were surfer
terms instead (such as "tubular" and "gnarly"). But due to the song's popularity, some of the surfer phrases actually entered the speech of real Valley teens after this point. The Los Angeles surfing subculture, on the other hand, did not generally begin using the Valley terms, and in fact often despise users of the terms.
One of the earliest appearances of Valleyspeak on television was during episode 9 of the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1976, in which Laraine Newman played a member of a group therapy session that included John Belushi, as the Godfather, and Elliot Gould, as the facilitator, . Another early appearance of Valleyspeak and the Valley Girl stereotype was through the character of Jennifer DiNuccio, played by Tracy Nelson
in the 1982-83 sitcom, Square Pegs
. According to an interview with Nelson included on the 2008 DVD
release of the series, she developed the character's Valley speak and personality prior to the Zappa recording becoming popular.
Valleyspeak is used heavily in the films Clueless, In the Army Now
, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
, and Wayne's World
. The character of Tiffany Blum-Deckler in MTV's Daria
also uses Valley speak, as do Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo
universe, Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
and Snake from The Simpsons
. The version of Kitty Pryde in the X-men Evolution cartoon spoke like a valley girl. DiC's English dub of 'Sailor Moon
' had Serena using valleyspeak.
Reality TV
star Kourtney Kardashian
has been mocked for her thick Valleyspeak accent.
is common in Valleyspeak. Statements have rising intonation, causing normal declarative language to appear to the listener as interrogative. This is also known as "uptalking", and is similar to the Australian Questioning Intonation (or AQI
).
Sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language associated with a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an age group, etc....
, originally of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in particular Valley girl
Valley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
s. This stereotype, which originated in the 1970s, became an international fad for a certain period. Many phrases and elements of Valleyspeak, along with surfer slang
Surf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing.The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon, and more...
and skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, are stable elements of the California English
California English
California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in California. California is home to a highly diverse population, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English.-History:English was first spoken on a wide scale in the area now known as...
dialect lexicon, and in some cases wider American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
(such as the widespread use of "like" as a hedge
Hedge (linguistics)
A hedge is a mitigating device used to lessen the impact of an utterance. Typically, they are adjectives or adverbs, but can also consist of clauses...
). Elements of Valleyspeak can now be found virtually everywhere English is spoken, particularly among young native English speakers. The language has gradually become symbolic and is increasingly becoming unrelated to its original meaning.
Origin
The term "Valley Girl" and the Valley manner of speech was given a wider circulation with the release of a hit 1982 single by Frank ZappaFrank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
entitled "Valley Girl
Valley Girl (song)
"Valley Girl" is a song by the musician Frank Zappa and his 14 year-old daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. It was released on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. Moon supplied Frank with much of the content, speaking typical "Valley girl" or "Valspeak" phrases she heard at...
", on which Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
, Frank's fourteen-year-old daughter, delivered a monologue in "Valley speak" behind the music. This song, Frank Zappa's only Top 40 hit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, popularized phrases such as "grody to the max". Some of the terms used by Moon were not actually Valley phrases, but were surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
terms instead (such as "tubular" and "gnarly"). But due to the song's popularity, some of the surfer phrases actually entered the speech of real Valley teens after this point. The Los Angeles surfing subculture, on the other hand, did not generally begin using the Valley terms, and in fact often despise users of the terms.
One of the earliest appearances of Valleyspeak on television was during episode 9 of the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1976, in which Laraine Newman played a member of a group therapy session that included John Belushi, as the Godfather, and Elliot Gould, as the facilitator, . Another early appearance of Valleyspeak and the Valley Girl stereotype was through the character of Jennifer DiNuccio, played by Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (actress)
Tracy Kristine Nelson is an American actress.-Early life:Tracy Nelson is a third generation performer; her parents were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Nelson and actress/artist Kristin Nelson . She has three younger siblings: Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson of the '90s rock group Nelson,...
in the 1982-83 sitcom, Square Pegs
Square Pegs
Square Pegs is an American comedy series that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson , two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School....
. According to an interview with Nelson included on the 2008 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the series, she developed the character's Valley speak and personality prior to the Zappa recording becoming popular.
Valleyspeak is used heavily in the films Clueless, In the Army Now
In The Army Now
In the Army Now is a 1994 war comedy, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and starring Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, David Alan Grier, Esai Morales, and Lori Petty...
, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles...
, and Wayne's World
Wayne's World
Wayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock & Roll, as the main character first appeared in that show...
. The character of Tiffany Blum-Deckler in MTV's Daria
Daria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
also uses Valley speak, as do Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
universe, Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
and Snake from The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. The version of Kitty Pryde in the X-men Evolution cartoon spoke like a valley girl. DiC's English dub of 'Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
' had Serena using valleyspeak.
Reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
star Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Mary Kardashian is an American businesswoman, socialite, model, actress and reality television personality who gained fame as a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.She is the oldest child of Kris Jenner and...
has been mocked for her thick Valleyspeak accent.
Intonation
Frequent use of high rising terminalHigh rising terminal
The high rising terminal , also known as uptalk, upspeak, rising inflection or high rising intonation , is a feature of some accents of English where statements have a rising intonation pattern in the final syllable or syllables of the utterance.Empirically, Ladd proposes that HRT in American...
is common in Valleyspeak. Statements have rising intonation, causing normal declarative language to appear to the listener as interrogative. This is also known as "uptalking", and is similar to the Australian Questioning Intonation (or AQI
High rising terminal
The high rising terminal , also known as uptalk, upspeak, rising inflection or high rising intonation , is a feature of some accents of English where statements have a rising intonation pattern in the final syllable or syllables of the utterance.Empirically, Ladd proposes that HRT in American...
).
See also
- California EnglishCalifornia EnglishCalifornia English is a dialect of the English language spoken in California. California is home to a highly diverse population, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English.-History:English was first spoken on a wide scale in the area now known as...
- Filler (linguistics)Filler (linguistics)In linguistics, a filler is a sound or word that is spoken in conversation by one participant to signal to others that he/she has paused to think but is not yet finished speaking. These are not to be confused with placeholder names, such as thingamajig, which refer to objects or people whose names...
- Jive filterJive filterJive, also known as the Jive Filter, is a novelty computer program that converts plain English to a comic dialect known as "jive", a parody of African American Vernacular English. Some versions of the filter were adapted to parody other forms of English speech, such as valspeak, cockney, geordie,...
- a novelty program that translates English into parody forms. - Like: As a discourse particle
- Pink FivePink FivePink Five is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2002. It was written and directed by Trey Stokes and stars Amy Earhart as Stacey , a fast-talking Valley Girl-type dropped into an X-Wing cockpit during the Battle of Yavin, and presents familiar events and story points from...
- a Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
parody fanfilm starring a Valley girl. - Gap Girls - a Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
sketch, prominently featuring Valleyspeak phrases.
External links
- Origins of Valspeak, YouTube video with Tracy Nelson from Square PegsSquare PegsSquare Pegs is an American comedy series that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson , two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School....
DVD commentary. - cs.utexas.edu: "Valspeak" text translator Citing