Arvind: Thanks for updating me on the clothing bit! I was probably basing my thoughts on memories of too long ago. As for the diversity of pronounciation - how anybody ever gets to settle on the pronounciation of English is enigma to me! ...When I first came to Australia I recollect sitting in a pub between an Aussie and a Canadian and having to translate for them as they could not understand each other's English. I had a handyman once from Yorkshire and he vehemently defended his way of saying "book".After all it was look. cook and book the same as it was in boot! My secretary, a sylph like lady, who majored in English for her BA called it "boonting" because (the same) handyman pronounced bunting that way and she had never heard the word before! I dare say it is as 'sir John' says - it is because we are human. ...........Billllll.......!