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When I sold tires back in 1983-84 the sole mechanic at the shop had a cleft palate that made it difficult for him to pronounce most words properly. He was very good natured about it, and after a couple of weeks I could easily understand at least 95% of what he said; as you wrote, it was a simple matter of learning his specific "dialect". Three or four times he had to explain to customers what was wrong with their vehicle, and each time they patiently listened to his explanation, then turned to look at me with that "deer in the headlights" expression on their faces because they hadn't understood a word he said. I then acted as translator, repeating what he had said, and when I'd finished he'd nod his head up and down and say, "Uh huh"; that, they understood. Because of his speech impediment he usually didn't say much, but he had a wonderful sense of humor so when he said something it was usually worth hearing.I worked for a man for quite a few years who was a fountain of mispronounced words and malaprops. People would ask us how we knew what he was saying most of the time. It wasn't hard to understand him once you learned his dialect...