Polygon.com / 01.09.24

Ok, but why do certain languages spoken with American intonations sound exactly like Simlish

In the early hours of the morning, a TikTok video titled Does Japanese with a California valley girl accent = Simlish? popped up on my For You page. The algorithm knows me too well. In the video, creator oyasumisushi tests the hypothesis by quickly studying up on the California valley girl accent (think Cher in Clueless or Elle in Legally Blonde), then speaking a few sentences in Japanese with the intonation. Hajimemashite, oyasumisushi says first, with the characteristic vocal fry and nasal sound of the valley girl. This translates to Nice to meet you. The answer, yall, is yes, it sounds exactly like The Sims franchises made-up language, Simlish. The video is brilliant, the internet is losing its mind, and it all sent me down a rabbit hole. @oyasumisushi Does Japanese with a California valley girl accent = Simlish? #sims #japan #japanese #california #usa original sound Josh After reading way too many of the almost 6,000 comments on oyasumisushis video, I was led to yet another ...
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