Tag Archives: culture

college, culture, L.A. Life, Language, USC

Californian Slang and Sayings

By Lauren Anderson

I am not a California native. I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. However, after living in Southern California for close to five years, I have gotten used to one of the common words and phrases used here. Some of these are not California-specific, and can aid any non-native English speaker in communicating with or understanding others on the West Coast.

“Angeleno” is a noun, and represents a native or inhabitant of Los Angeles. This is sometimes used for those living outside of Los Angeles, if they are still in the Los Angeles region. Even city documents will mention implementing changes for Angelenos.

“Cali” is an abbreviation of “California” that only non-Californians use. Nearly every other U.S. state calls California “Cali,” but Californians hate this. Avoid using “Cali” if you want to seem like a native Californian.

“Rad” was used more frequently by Californians a few years ago, but you may still hear it today. This is used as an adjective to describe something that is cool. Northern Californians often say “hella rad”, meaning very cool.

“Gnarly” is used predominantly by surfers in California, but because I lived in Huntington Beach for a few years (also known as Surf City), I have heard it quite a bit. Gnarly is often used to describe good waves, and can also be used to describe something that is cool. Gnarly, rad, and “sick,” are interchangeable slang terms, that are generally used in a positive way.

If someone is excited for something, you may hear them say that they are “stoked.” But if they are not stoked, they may “bail,” meaning that they will skip something; not show up, or leave. This phrase is heard in California but can be heard in certain places around the United States.

While many states use the saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” California generally does not get rain in the Spring. Instead, you will hear, “June gloom” in California. This refers to the sky being cloudy and overcast most of the day, especially in the mornings. By July, Southern California usually returns to its normal sunny self.

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Language, Outlook, USC

Fun and Interesting Ways to Practice a Language

By Alexis Bradby

When I was a Conversation Partner, and I quickly learned that there are a ton of ways to practice a language that people do not normally utilize. Some of the more common ways we think of practicing a language are to watch movies or television in the language we are learning or just speaking with a native speaker. While these methods are productive, I’m going to suggest a few fun and innovative ways I’ve been helping my conversation partners practice English this semester.

Reading scripts

One of my conversation partners has mentioned that she wanted to be able to sound more casual and less formal in how she speaks English. As a film student, I thought one way to help her work on this is from reading aloud dialogue. This allows her to see the sentence structure and practice different tones, such as sarcasm. It’s also a really fun activity for both partners depending on what screenplay you use. For our first time doing this activity, we read parts of Mean Girls.

Debates

Formulating analysis for arguments is one of the most difficult aspects of language even for native speakers, so this is a really great way to practice a language. A fun way of approaching this activity is to find common arguments online such as school uniforms. Then have your conversation partner argue in favor of and then in opposition of the prompt. This activity will help in making more complex sentence structures and expressing ideas quicker.

Comedy

While I’ve yet to get a conversation partner to agree to this, I think understanding humor In a different language is an indicator of a certain level of mastery. Learning puns is a great way for understanding the multiple meanings of words. To understand why something is fun shows a knowledge of sentence structure, word meaning, and a lot of times, cultural awareness.

Featured image by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Alexis majored in Narrative Studies.  She was born and raised in Chicago, and was a transfer student to USC.  Alexis loves the beach and at times misses Chicago, but is happy to now live in L.A. next to the ocean instead of a lake!  As a learner of Spanish and German herself, she understands the many challenges that come with speaking a foreign language.  Alexis has a passion for experiencing and sharing different cultures, and dreams of one day traveling the world.  She a Leo loves reading, writing, swimming, and looking at cute pictures of dogs.

Asian American, Cultural Exchange, culture, entertainment, Language

Exploring East Asian Culture through Film

By Gina Samec

“Ugh, I hate subtitles!”

Each time I encounter someone with this attitude, I’m disappointed because the scope of great film extends far beyond what is churned out of Hollywood. While the disliking of subtitles is understandable, I encourage anyone who has this sentiment to go outside their comfort zone and watch some foreign films. Watching a movie is an easy way to explore another culture. This is not to say that movies are representative of real life, but they are often a reflection of society. These movies are not for everyone but here are some recommendations of East Asian films I have enjoyed watching!

Memories of Murder

This Korean film from 2003 starts out as a murder mystery but the plot unfolds in an unconventional way. Apart from the main conflict of finding a loose serial killer, a side conflict between the protagonist, Park, and a volunteer detective, Seo, keeps the story interesting. However, one of the best aspects of this film is the cinematography. The thoughtfulness of how the movie was shot adds another layer of depth to it. So any fans of the crime genre or anyone who has an appreciation for brilliant cinematography should give this film a shot.

Secret Sunshine

This 2007 Korean film centers around a widow, Shin-ae, who moves back to the town where her husband lived. While this already sounds like a rough start, Shine-ae’s life dives into a downward spiral from there. What makes this film different from anything I’ve seen, is the exploration of religion. Most movies are too afraid to do so because it is a touchy subject but Secret Sunshine takes this risk. This film depicts the journey of a woman who is not religious in the slightest, encountering Christianity for the first time. I should put a disclaimer that there is some critique of religion so it is not for everyone. However, it is quite refreshing to see a female-led film showing someone trying to overcome a low point in their life without pretending to have all the answers.

Sweet Bean

This Japanese film from 2015 is much more sentimental and family friendly than the previous two. This film is about a symbolic family: the bond that is formed between three generations centered around a dorayaki pancake shop. These three people, an old woman, a middle aged man, and a young teenage girl are all somewhat outcasts from society. Together, they find purpose through their shared love of dorayaki. The film has breathtaking cinematography and brings out the beauty in the simple things. If you enjoy heartfelt movies then this is a good go-to.

A Touch of Sin

This Chinese film from 2013 follows four different characters each in a different storyline. On the surface, this film seems to be mostly about violence but there is much more going on than there appears to be. Each character is being oppressed by society in different forms and protest against it through different methods. What makes this film stand apart is the complexity of the characters. Usually protagonists are righteous and principled. However, these characters are a mixture of good and bad and often their actions are questionable. This film is full of symbolism so for me, it was fun to watch with friends because we all had different interpretations of certain scenes. If you enjoy action-packed movies and don’t mind violence, this is a riveting film that is surprisingly meaningful.

Featured image from Pxfuel

Gina is a sophomore studying Communication at the USC School of Annenberg.  She attended five schools but mostly grew up in Piedmont, California. Although she only attended a French bilingual school for two years, she has continued to pursue fluency in the language. She loves playing volleyball, watching movies, and thrift shopping. Never having left the country has fueled her love for learning about other cultures and meeting people from different backgrounds.