"But its British!"

[PepperElf]

If it's not Scottish it's CRAP!

Seriously though, that lady was wacked. I love British narration, they can make even the dullest events seem like the greatest thing in the world.

...TRUE...
as one of my friends once said, Alan Rickman could be reading her the phonebook and she wouldn't care as long as he just kept talking.

And two things are going through my head now:
- "I'm sorry, they only produce this in English, not Bastardized-English."
- "I couldn't understand you with your accent" (from Romy & Michelle)

[Broomjockey]

The only major change is on the first one its "Philosopher's Stone" instead of "Soccerer's Stone." Along with the name "soccerer" changed to "philospher." Otherwise its pretty much the same.

Got that backwards mate. Harry Potter was changed from Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone, not Sorcerer to Philosopher. The "popularly accepted reasoning" (aka a step above urban legend) is that American children wouldn't understand what a philosopher was.

[crazylegs]

I have American friends who think the UK is all one country; it's not. It's composed of four different countries, all who hate each other equally.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (our official title)

Helluva mouthful, anyhoo its the scottish accent I have the most trouble with, any other I can interpret, scottish (highlands) is just totally incomprehensible to me.

[Lady Legira]

I have American friends who think the UK is all one country; it's not. It's composed of four different countries, all who hate each other equally.

At least we all hate the french together though.

I have a fairly light North Yorkshire accent (with a touch of South Yorkshire in it) but I found I had to repeat myself quite often in the US because I didn't speak loud enough! I'm heard well enough here but not in the US because you lot speak so loud!

Raps - Aye, Yorkshire can be broad when tha know how.

[MisseLaneius]

I think that the problem with understanding accents comes mostly from exposure. I live in a very multicultural suburb in a very multicultural city. I watch movies and TV from all round the world. So obviously I'm more used to hearing different accents.

As for indian english being a whole other language, I'd definitely disagree, but similes and metaphors can sometimes fall by the wayside... My flatmate is indian, and one of her battlecries, (particularly when she's been drinking) is "Don't pick on me! English is my second language!"

[B&NGoddess]

...TRUE...
as one of my friends once said, Alan Rickman could be reading her the phonebook and she wouldn't care as long as he just kept talking.

hell, it could be alan rickman doing anything. making toast. mowing the lawn. takin' a bath...

yeah, im gonna stop now.

[Broomjockey]

hell, it could be alan rickman doing anything. making toast. mowing the lawn. takin' a bath...

yeah, im gonna stop now.

You had me at toast. You lost me at bath.

[Lace Neil Singer]

At least we all hate the french together though.

That is true. XD Darn surrender monkeys!

[Seshat]

I'm Australian, and my personal accent is the Australian version of Received Pronunciation: basically, you can think of me as being an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) announcer.

When I was in the States, people loved hearing me talk, apparently. I was often asked 'say something - anything!'

[Rapscallion]

Raps - Aye, Yorkshire can be broad when tha know how.

Sithee down t'ginnel, lass?

Just channeling my deceased grandfather for a moment there...

Rapscallion

[-H-]

I get exposed to a wide variety of accents at work

I work on trains that run between a large-ish International Airport in the North West of our fair and getting-more-unpleasant-by-the-day-land, and the Northeast of England.

I get American, Australian, Indian, Canadian and African(various different african continent accents) accented English. Not to mention the scouse, cockney, manc, glaswegian, Geordies, Mackems, Brummies, Posh Kent types and our cornish cousins ... not to mention the Yorkshire accents too! How i cope i don't know, and on night shifts they tend to be drunk and slurring too!

I'm originally from a confused part of the country that depending on who you talk to is in one of 3 different regions, apparently my accent is wierd, but i think i talk normal

[TWOLF]

I have tried to read the Harry Potter books released state side and can't get into them. One person I wokr with has them in UK English and said it's easier to get into. Personally I would probably read them more that way. I grew up watching a lot of Brit coms and with finaly having cable I find that I watch the bbca more. I just wish they would not censor Gordon Ramsey so much.