change recognition modes

Having trouble retrieving mail on my first usage of getmail following
install.

I get an error like so:

getmailrc: operation error (POP error (b'-ERR [SYS/PERM] Unable to
process From lines (envelopes), change recognition modes or check for
corrupted mail drop.'))

What are recognition modes? And how might one change them.
How might I check for a corrupted mail drop?

To flesh out the problem a bit more... I was using fetchmail (version
release 6.4.15+GSS+NTLM+SDPS+SSL-SSLv2-SSLv3+NLS+KRB5.) For several weeks
until today when it started failing to retrieve .  Showed a similar
error in so far as being unable to process `From ' lines.

I tried updating fetchmail to (version
6.4.16+GSS+NTLM+SDPS+SSL-SSLv2-SSLv3+NLS+KRB5.) but had the same
problem.  The result being I'm unable to retrieve any mail.

I fired up getmail (version 6.14-1 ) hoping to get a better result but
apparently the problem is bad enough that neither fetcmail nor getmail
can handle it.

I need any coaching anyone might have to help figure this out.