>What I am asserting is that I have extensive experience in hearing English
in many dialects, >and that, as a person trained in languages, I can make
valid observations about what I >hear.
Oh, that's quite different. I thought when you said you were a native
speaker, that you were asserting you were a native speaker. If your claim
is based on your specialised knowledge, that's fine - because it still makes
your status as native speaker irrelevant - which was my point.
I don't dispute your ability or your training or your expertise. Only the
apparent claim that a native speaker can accurately hear the phonetics of
her/his own language without specialist training.
Peter