That video is a great example of what I am talking about.
The taxiway system at Kennedy is particulally confusing anyway, and the controller was giving a clearance that while should be simple, needed to be slowed down. He didn't need to be so "Agro" with the MIKE ALPHA - he should have just slowed down and given progressive taxi instructions. Without the guidance of the transcript it is quite hard to understand even for me!
As to the Ramp - the US tends to use a strange system where you have to contact the ramp controller to be allowed in, however the ramp controller doesn't speak to the ground controller. It is a handful at the best of times trying to have the time to change frequencies on the other radio so you can speak to two people at once.
As you see, the ground controller could quite plainly see that the aircraft did not understand what he was saying. However he just keeps repeating the question over and over again... when there is clearly no understanding. You also see a great example of standard phraseology... "HAVE YOU BEEN CLEARED TO THE RAMP" was interpreted as its closest standard phrase... "Clear to the ramp". So, whilst I agree that the pilots should have understood the system better, the controller could have made his, and everybodies, life far far easier by just not asking the question, telling him to hold position, and independantly verifying if he has that clearance.
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