On 07/08/2013 11:05 AM, sf wrote:

>
> Slight accents can be understandable, but most people don't stop at
> slight. Between mumbling and full on accents, I'm glad movies on DVD
> come with English subtitles these days. In RL, I can't understand
> every word of FOBs with full on regional accents; even if they are
> from countries where English is supposedly an official language.
>

I am always surprised by the Buffalo accent, and even more so by the
Tonawanda accent. They are similar but the latter is much more pronounced.

I was surprised to hear my son's voice on the telephone when he was on
his way back after 8 months in Africa. He had been living and working in
a small town in Uganda and had been hanging out with South Africans. He
had acquired a South African accent.