is R/L-- unless learned early, most japanese can not hear that these letters represent different sounds..

and because teh Japanese pronounce them both as a sound halfway between R and L, they both are heard as incorrect by the English ear. For some reason, instead of adjusting to the correct sound, the English ear seems to adjust it even further the wrong way, hearing "R" for "L" and "L" for "R". But Helen, did you find, as I did, that after frequent exposure to the phenomenon, my ears (or the ear bit of my brain) adjusted the sound so I was no longer hearing the wrong words?

Rod