I’m from the midwest but as a USN type served and lived in various parts of the country and have little difficulty understanding almost any accent. However, some do grate on me a bit-NY, NJ and NE.
Years ago “The Story Of English” was on TV and they often had captioning under various dialects. Gullah was captioned but I understood everything that was spoken. On the other hand, they did not caption Cockney and outside of love and mate, I couldn’t understand any of the other 1000s of words that were said.
Re govt. sponsored classes: What is needed is mandatory classes in “Reduction of Stupidity” and “Increase in Common Sense” for all elected as well as senior appointed or promoted officials. I know you can’t fix stupid but maybe we will find out that some are just dumb which can be fixed!
Am from Boston area and we say “Bawstin” though people from other parts of country seem to think we say “Baaah-stin”. And no, a Boston/New Eng accent isn’t the same as, er, ah, er, a Kennedy accent. Go not too far away in New England and there’s a bit of a twang; in W. Mass or VT, Bob isn’t “Bawb” but “Baaahb”. We pronounced “Route” (as in a highway) to rhyme with fruit while people in other parts of the country rhyme it with “doubt”. And we usually say Route rather than Highway.
Some people from midwest seem to have the voice go up at the end of a sentence...? Like they’re asking a question...?
Sometimes I have trouble understanding a Southern accent; no offense, y’all :) Maybe I just associate the Southern accent with Nancy Grace. There are some weird pronunciations;
a singer from a Washington DC/VA area band did a station ID for my college radio station and said our signal was “careening its way into your heume (home) at this very moment”. And hear how Garth Brooks pronounces “love”—”leeuve?” in the line “When we’re free to love anyone we choose” in “We Shall Be Free”.
Have taken trips to Pittsburgh the past few years and enjoy the yinzer accent an’ ‘at. Are yinz gonna watch the Stillers game on your caaaach at your haaase or go dahntahn? Don’t be a jagoff.” The accent comes out loud and clear on the
“Pittsburgh Dad” videos on youtube, and as I went to a Pirates game at PNC a few weeks back most of the guys around the bars nearby sure sounded like Pittsburgh Dad. What’s the section up a hill that you gotta take an incline to get to?
Mt Warshington, of course.
Dennis Miller is from the Pitt. area and on his audiobooks, etc. you can hear him say things like “what’s going ahn?”
Some TV/radio personalities try to lose their accents. Sean Hannity said when he, a Noo Yawker, got a radio job in Atlanta his NY accent stuck out like a sore thumb. Vermont’s commie senator, Bernie Sanders, is orig from NYC. I heard him on a radio ad: “Hoy! Oym Boynie Sandizz!”
I have a collection of baseball related music and other stuff and one bit was a radio show where Babe Ruth was talking to some kids and the Bronx, Brooklyn etc accents were pretty clear...
Some time ago, I was in an Indian restaurant, in London. The owner/proprietor spoke with *BOTH* a thick Cockney AND Indian accent. Simulataneously.
I could tell it was English, but honestly couldn't understand a word. And he didn't mumble, or swallow his speech....I just couldn't understand him, though he understood me perfectly.
Fortunately, I was with a few friends who were local. They translated for me. :-) I was glad, the place had great Indian food.