All files, folders, apps NOT in alphabetical order

All my files, folders and applications are listed in a very strange pattern in Finder (as well as any other files lists - e.g. music in Itunes). I appear to have at least two alphabets. For example, this is the way my application folder lists my apps:

Audacity 1.2.6
Automator
AppleScript
Adium
Adobe Help Center
Adobe Help Viewer 1.0
Adobe Photoshop CS2
Adobe Reader 8
Adobe Stock Photos
Address Book
eMusic Download Manager
EndNote 9
Image Capture
iMovie HD
Installers
Internet Connect
iWork '08
iCal
iChat
iDVD
iSync
iTunes
Utilities
Hewlett-Packard
LameLib
Mail
Mark/Space
Mark/Space Notebook
Marble Blast Gold
Microsoft AutoUpdate
Microsoft Office 2004
Microsoft Office X
Missing Sync for Windows Mobile
PDFpen
Preview
Windows Media Player
Backup
BitTorrent
Business Card Composer 4
Calculator
Chess
CSSEdit
Dashboard
Dictionary
DVD Player
Firefox
Font Book
Google Earth
Quicken 2005
QuickTime Player
RapidWeaver
RWmultitool Lite
Safari
Sherlock
Skype
Stickies
StuffIt 10.0
System Preferences
TextEdit
TNEF's Enough
Virtual PC
Zinio

You'll note that there are effectively two alphabets listed. This is the way my whole computer behaves. Any ideas on how to correct the ordering?

Have you definitely got US set in the International preferences

That did the trick. I had it set to Hawaiian. I had set it there at least a year ago trying to get some of the Hawaiian characters into my fonts. I've been suffering with this strange ordering ever since.

Thanks!

same problem w no solution

setting International to English didn't help in my case. I still have confused folders. . .