Brat1

- yup, that's how bloody frustrated it makes me too - how come we can understand every american accent perfectly, but ours, the english or scottish version of the kings english, they can't get - pisses me right off!!!!

steve100100

This happened a lot to me when I first came here. "a" was heard as "I".

The strange one for me was "eight" was always heard as "nine". It doesn't happen anymore. Although, my south staffs/Brummie accent may have faded a little.

RickWG

Here's another that just boils my piss.

Some halfwitted colonial who thinks it the height of comedy to speak to you in what they think is a British accent..

My usual reply is "Do you hear me speaking to you in what I might think is an American accent?

er.. no..

Great! so quit talking like a frigging retard.

Bob

It works both ways though...you tried understanding someone from the north counties of Maine and you'd know they were speaking English, but you wouldn't be able to understand it

tonrob

In 33.333% of instances in which I ask for white toast in a diner, I end up getting wheat. Go figure.

Wolfy

Lol...the FIL tries the same thing, but everytime he says good day mate, I say nic Austrailian accent you have ther!

MadRad

Hear, hear. This is the one thing that really drives me demented. No one is capable of spelling my name, even when I say 'A for apple' they still don't get it. Given I share a name with a high profile politician, I don't see how it can be so hard.

Sue

To be fair, you get this the world over. Accents differ everywhere, and down south I often see people who have moved here, and come from up north, struggling to understand the southern accents. Much like when I was younger and visited Leeds for a weekend, I only understood 50% of what they were saying and vice versa

AmerLisa

Maybe you should avoid the mirrors?

Anyway, I remember the time I had someone (who after hearing my accent) talked to me in the stupidest southern drawl you'd ever heard. What made it even more funny is that I'm not from the South (Southern California, I have no accent!)

Pegster

I've found it good to use alpha, bravo, charlie, etc when spelling things - makes it easier to understand.

Just a question for those of you who have had 'A' misunderstood when you're spelling something... do you say 'A' as 'ay' to rhyme with 'hay', or do you say 'ah' to rhyme with 'baa' (sheep)? I've noticed that here in Northern Ireland, some people say 'ah' when spelling something which is very strange to my US ears.

robin1234

There is a Montreal within 20 miles of London!

Macca67

......and these are the people you're going to trust your healthcare with? Scary.

rpjs

I know. I was thinking of leaving and looking for somewhere else. But it was only the med tech who took my weight and basic medical history I had this with, the actual doctor was fine. Although I think she may have fears for my mental health when I said I much prefer commuting on Metro-North than Southeastern!

King Gimp

While in the queue down at the DMV getting my licence - chatting to lady next to me
Her - "Where are you from?"
Me - "England"
Her - "Oh we were there last year, Vancouver Island is really beautiful"

DeltaSierra70

A number of years ago, I was taking an order on the phone from an agency in Norfolk VA, and when I told her my name to write on the order that would be sent, she kept getting in wrong, so I asked "You're in the Navy, aren't you Ma-am?" "Yes" she said "I'm a Loo-ten-ant" "Good" I replied and stated "My name is David Sierra Hotel Echo etc., and my last name." There was a pause and she replied; "You got all them names?"