Mark and Carl,
I had to laugh when I read this. My wife and I spent two years in the
Northern Territory (mostly in Darwin), and we never had trouble
understanding anyone. When my youngest son was born in Darwin, Ann's
parents came to visit, and they couldn't even cope with the TV news, which
is as "accent neutral" in Australia as it is here. When it came to
football (VFL or SRL) on TV, they understood the rules of the game better
than the announcers, which is to say not at all. Thanks for provoking
some pleasant memories.
Philip Graber Graduate Division of Religion
Graduate Student in New Testament 214 Callaway Center
Emory University
pgraber@emory.edu Atlanta, GA 30322 USA