What about the Japanese/Spanish "rr"? :think:

If I had trouble pronouncing something, I'd like to call butter 'butthurr" or something... bc it kinda sounds like butthurt

That's probably one of the few for most people, East-Asian / Western phonetics tend to be some of the most incompatible, I've seen studies that strongly suggest that there are differences in perception that mean we don't even hear each other accurately at first. It's pretty much impossible to become totally fluent in things like Japanese, Chinese (there are weird differences in the ways vowels are formed), Thai, Korean etc etc without living there for several years and having total immersion.

when one is free
you would have to agree
not one second but three
omg I am missing shree.
confusing are fings
I suppose that's why no rings
pain this bring
is this explaing things.

I think that's also true for native speakers, especially when dealing with regional inflections. For example, where I was raised, we speak very fast and get to the point very quickly. When I moved NE, it felt like I was relearning conversation because the actual words were given much more emphasis over the delivery (and getting in those small Texas jabs), and it felt a bit unnatural for me at first because conversation felt kinda randomized (almost "flat")... there are times when watching Big Brother that I have to replay something a few times before I fully understand it. I have trouble with the UK accent at lower volumes.

I think the brain streamlines a lot of language processes and we just perceive the simplified version. There's very little that our brain focuses on in precise detail.. it does better with patterns of speech and learned "shortcuts".

With class differences, there's a huge difference in speech, even here. I find that we speak better with people who are on a common level. (edit) And yes I do think this impacts how likeable you will be to some folk. If you get their speech right away or not. It helps to develop a little bit of diversity in your speech and ability to read people overall despite these speech differences.

Same thing with forums/SD, I think people tend to read over those who type short blurbs on a different wavelength with long texts, whereas the shorter posts, everyone gets those almost immediately. (since you have more time to focus on the play of words). Whereas, the longform, people almost instantly focus on things like the overuse of the word "you", i.e. the personal nature of a reply... and they try to sum it up in their head instead of catching onto the smaller details... I don't think many people are very good at reading between the lines, even if you offer those "hints", they look for the same patterns they expect in voice because of the mixed nature of forums (personal versus informal versus "enthusiast")

As for my Japanese, I am total **** at it when someone here asks me to speak Japanese who only knows English. It's like that is a different brain than my English brain. When a friend is visiting or we are on the phone, it's much easier to make the switch. But I find using the language outside that situation is very jarring. My Japanese brain is a bit lazy actually.

A little OT but yeah.

I think that people who purposefully mispronounce words, there's some regional "dialect" thing going on there possibly. (edit) With Japanese, the regional dialect is much more obvious because they even change the way verbs are conjugated, etc.. I have a Latina pronounciation to my English sometimes, especially when I'm making fun, because that's how we used to roll in the barrio...

some fings in life are three innit

I say my name with an F Lol

Fathan? you weirdo :hehe:

The difference has never really been that clear to me but then I did have hearing problems as a young child. I often mispronounce words that I've taught myself :laugh:

It's more of a "v" sound than an "f" one, to me, though

I know it’s Nathan but it’s much easier to say Nafe-an and less tricky

I say three with the TH sound.

Although when I was a kid I did used to struggle to say Thor and would call him for.:joker:

Yeah if you watch the Japanese Anime Fairy Tail they have a girl named Lucy pronounced as Rushi.

So I pronounced Glasgow properly then.:dance:

Edinburgh I do pronounced as Edin-burruh but I'm slightly off on pronunciation which I didn't know that after 21 years.:laugh:

I wonder if the people who use F where th should be do the same the other way around........they might go, oh thor thucks sake when they are mad :hehe: