dude, your wife is exaggerating - excluding Gullah I don't think any range of American accents even approaches the mutual unintelligibility on that tiny island

dude, your wife is exaggerating - excluding Gullah I don't think any range of American accents even approaches the mutual unintelligibility on that tiny island we seceded from. I've been from east to west in the US, downeast, new york, boston - these are no problem whatsoever for any Californian or Midwesterner.