British, South African, and New Zealand accents

Hi Clark,
About English being spoken fast. That's what the learners say! I guess any language spoken by mother-tongue speakers will seem fast to someone learning that language. It's not just a question of the speed, but it just continues, and if someone hasn't really heard or understood the phrase before, they don't take in the next one properly and get lost.
I understand German, for example, very well, but depending on who is speaking and the variations in vowel sound depending on area, there are times when I just hear, as they say, - Bahnhof!