If you have ever heard Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton speak...you have heard it. "California Speak."
It's an interesting combination of a nasally, vocal fry, and up-talking. There are other elements...people dropping the t's in the middle of a word, and the g's at the ends of words. Cotton, becomes Cah-ehn. Listening, becomes lissen-een.
At its worst, it can be a kind-of parody of an accent. Think: Jeff Spiccoli in Fast Times. Surfer-gone-nuclear. Or uber-valley-girl, a-la Moon Unit Zappa.
Men and Women do it, though it does seem more noticeable in women.
It has become quite common, and you can hear it everywhere.
Do you hear it? When you do, does it evoke a reaction?