Culture
Don't Get Mad When Transplants Copy How You Talk
They’re just trying to fit in. Also, they might be paying you a compliment.
As a native of Oakland, I’m a bit possessive of the word “hella.”
It’s a Bay Area thing. It’s as inseparable from the place as Mac Dre and truly great burritos. Grammatically, it goes rogue. You can say “there’s hella people here,” or you can say “that burrito looks hella good,” or you can say “I hella love Oakland.” If you’re from the Bay, you don’t have to think about it. It just sort of rolls off the tongue and into any point in a sentence deemed worthy.