I don't find that anyone talks precisely the same way as anyone else, although certainly accents will adjust how different people sound from each other.
Accents also affect how easily I can read someone's lips (which I do a lot of the time), and I have determined that I can fail to recognize someone if they are not moving and are speaking in a different accent than that to which I am accustomed from them.
I absolutely have trouble understanding most people. This is why I love closed captioning! And yes, the more I hear someone talk, the easier it is to understand them.
Sufficient exposure to an accent can mean I'll pick it up. This happens way less often in Boston because there are a lot of difference accents around. I can't usually do an accent on purpose, at least not if I haven't heard it recently.
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Date: 2014-12-16 07:29 pm (UTC)Accents also affect how easily I can read someone's lips (which I do a lot of the time), and I have determined that I can fail to recognize someone if they are not moving and are speaking in a different accent than that to which I am accustomed from them.
I absolutely have trouble understanding most people. This is why I love closed captioning! And yes, the more I hear someone talk, the easier it is to understand them.
Sufficient exposure to an accent can mean I'll pick it up. This happens way less often in Boston because there are a lot of difference accents around. I can't usually do an accent on purpose, at least not if I haven't heard it recently.