yes we assume a lot , i had an online friend from boston, and i assumed everyone talked like him, i love the accent,it is so different, but now i know not everyone talks like that, same with kiwis,some are really like the this thread i posted,others are not, i am not typical ,but that is because of my scottish heritage, and i have been brought up with the a different dialect, everyone comments on how my sister and i talk so different on the phone and in person when we talk to our parents, it is just natural to us, we were raised with it, and i would sound ridiculous speaking scottish to scottish people,but i do pronounce my words different when i speak to my parents, the kiwi leaves me lol.