> I feel that the real problem is understanding the Indian accent. Well there's many more than one. "The Indian accent" is really only a trope on American TV s

> I feel that the real problem is understanding the Indian accent. Well there's many more than one. "The Indian accent" is really only a trope on American TV shows. For instance, your username seems Indian/Bengali (sorry if you're not, just making a point) and I'm Indian/Punjabi and I bet we sound really different. Bengalis stress the first syllable in a word, Punjabis the second; Bengalis stretch the -ee- sound a bit, Punjabis truncate it especially when trailing. These are stereotypes, but they work well enough to place another Indian's state of origin instantly if you just hear their voice on the phone.