Foreign accent syndrome
Foreign accent syndrome is a rare medical condition in which patients develop what appears to be a foreign accent.[1] Foreign accent syndrome usually results from a stroke,[1] but can also develop from head trauma,[1] migraines[2] or developmental problems.[3] The condition was first reported in 1907,[4] and between 1941 and 2009 there were sixty-two recorded cases.[3]
Its symptoms result from distorted articulatory planning and coordination processes and although popular news articles commonly attempt to identify the closest regional accent, speakers suffering from foreign accent syndrome acquire neither a specific foreign accent nor any additional fluency in a foreign language. Despite an unconfirmed news report in 2010 that a Croatian speaker has gained the ability to speak fluent German after emergence from a coma,[5] there has been no verified case where a patient's foreign language skills have improved after a brain injury. There have been a few reported cases of children and siblings picking up the new accent from someone with foreign accent syndrome.[6]
Description
To the untrained ear, those with the syndrome sound as though they speak their native languages with a foreign accent; for example, an American native speaker of English might sound as though he spoke with a south-eastern English accent, or a native English speaker might speak with a New York American accent. However, researchers at Oxford University have found that certain, specific parts of the brain were injured in some foreign accent syndrome cases, indicating that certain parts of the brain control various linguistic functions, and damage could result in altered pitch or mispronounced syllables, causing speech patterns to be distorted in a non-specific manner.[citation needed] Contrary to popular beliefs that individuals with FAS exhibit their accent without any effort, these individuals feel as if they are suffering from a speech disorder.[7] More recently, there is mounting evidence that the cerebellum, which controls motor function, may be crucially involved in some cases of foreign accent syndrome, reinforcing the notion that speech pattern alteration is mechanical, and thus non-specific.[8][9] Thus, the perception of a foreign accent is likely a case of pareidolia on the part of the listener.
Early cases
The condition was first described in 1907 by the French neurologist Pierre Marie,[4] and another early case was reported in a Czech study in 1919.[10] Other well-known cases of the syndrome have included one that occurred in Norway in 1941 after a young woman, Astrid L., suffered a head injury from shrapnel during an air-raid. After apparently recovering from the injury, she was left with what sounded like a strong German accent and was shunned by her fellow Norwegians.[11][12]
Media coverage
Cases of foreign accent syndrome often receive significant media coverage, and cases have been reported in the popular media as the resulting from various causes including stroke,[13][14][15][16][17] allergic reaction,[18] physical injury,[17][19][20] and migraine.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] A woman with foreign accent syndrome was featured on both Inside Edition and Discovery Health Channel's Mystery ER[29] in October 2008, and in September 2013 the BBC published an hour-long documentary about a woman from Devon whose foreign accent syndrome resulted from a severe migraine.[30][31][32]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Kurowski KM, Blumstein SE, Alexander M. (1996). "The foreign accent syndrome: a reconsideration," Brain Lang., 54(1), 1–25.
- ^ "Severe migraines give Devon woman a bizarre Chinese accent at". Asylum.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ a b Template:Cite PMID
- ^ a b Marie P. (1907). Presentation de malades atteints d’anarthrie par lesion de l’hemisphere gauche du cerveau. Bulletins et Memoires Societe Medicale des Hopitaux de Paris, 1: 158–160.
- ^ "Croatian teenager wakes from coma speaking fluent German". Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
- ^ "Foreign Accent Syndrome: What Is It? And Most Notable Cases". Healthmango. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
- ^ Miller, Nick (September 2011). "Living with foreign accent syndrome: Insider perspectives". Aphasiology. 25 (9): 1053–1068. doi:10.1080/02687038.2011.573857. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Mariën P., Verhoeven J., Engelborghs, S., Rooker, S., Pickut, B. A., De Deyn, P.P. (2006). A role for the cerebellum in motor speech planning: evidence from foreign accent syndrome. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 108, 518-522.
- ^ Mariën P., Verhoeven J. (2007). Cerebellar involvement in motor speech planning: some further evidence from foreign accent syndrome. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 59:4, 210-217.
- ^ Pick, A. 1919. Über Änderungen des Sprachcharakters als Begleiterscheinung aphasicher Störungen. Zeitschrift für gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 45, 230–241.
- ^ Monrad-Krohn, G. H. "Dysprosody or Altered 'Melody of Language'." Brain 70 (1947): 405-15.
- ^ "Foreign Accent Syndrome Support". Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Naidoo, Raveeni (2008-07-01). "A Case of Foreign Accent Syndrome Resulting in Regional Dialect". the Canadian Journal of Neurological Science. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "Ontario woman gains East Coast accent following stroke". CBC News. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
{{cite news}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Bunyan, Nigel (2006-07-04). "Geordie wakes after stroke with new accent". Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ Lewis, Angie. "Communicative Disorders Clinic Diagnoses Rare Foreign Accent Syndrome in Sarasota Woman". University of Central Florida-College of Health and Public Affairs. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "I woke up with a Russian accent" at guardian.co.uk
- ^ "Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) Support". Utdallas.edu. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
- ^ "Woman Gets Oral Surgery, Wakes Up With Irish Accent". Huffingtonpost.com. 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ POSTED: 8:28 am EDT May 6, 2011 (2011-05-06). "Woman Gets New Accent After Dentist Visit". Wmtw.com. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Health Sentinel: Connecting symptoms finally leads to disorder diagnosis". The News-Sentinel. 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Migraine left woman with Chinese accent". The Sunday Times. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Severe Migraine Leaves English Woman with Chinese Accent". Fox News. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ "Plymouth woman 'woke up sounding Chinese'". BBC News. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ Morris, Steven (2010-09-14). "Woman's migraine gave her French accent". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Migraine gives woman French accent". The Independent. London. 2010-09-14.
- ^ "Grandmother goes to bed with migraine... and wakes up speaking with a French accent". The Daily Mail. London. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Coping with Foreign Accent Syndrome". BBC News. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ "Woman's Accent Foreign Even to Her". The Seattle Times. 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "BBC One - The Woman Who Woke Up Chinese". Bbc.co.uk. 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
- ^ "Sarah Colwill, British Woman, 'Woke Up Chinese' After Suffering Severe Migraine In Hospital [VIDEO]". Medicaldaily.com. 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
- ^ "Sarah Colwill Speaks Out About Foreign Accent Syndrome In BBC Documentary 'The Woman Who Woke Up Chinese'". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
Further reading
- Dankovičová J, Gurd JM, Marshall JC, MacMahon MKC, Stuart-Smith J, Coleman JS, Slater A. Aspects of non-native pronunciation in a case of altered accent following stroke (foreign accent syndrome). Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics 2001;15:195-218.
- Template:Cite PMID
- Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 11804223 , please use {{cite journal}} with
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External links
- Article from New Zealand 13th July 2010
- "Stroke gives man Italian accent" at BBC Radio 4 Home Truths, 4 November 2005
- "I woke up with a foreign accent" at ABC News
- Journal of Neurolinguistics, Volume 19, Issue 5. Special issue on foreign accent syndrome.
- "Foreign Accent Syndrome Support" - site created by researchers at University of Texas at Dallas
- "Health Sentinel: Connecting symptoms finally leads to disorder diagnosis" - article from Fort Wayne, IN describing a woman's struggles with rare conditions, including Foreign Accent Syndrome. December 6, 2010
- "Woman Goes to Bed with Migraine, Wakes Up with European Accent" - article from Wabash, IN The Paper July 24, 2013.
- "FAS Sisters" Ellen and Fran meet for the first time weeks after Ellen's onset of Foreign Accent Syndrome and years after Fran's. Video, May 2009
- "Re:FAS Sisters" - A YouTube video of Foreign Accent Syndrome speech at six months post onset. November, 2009. Six months after onset of Foreign Accent Syndrome.
- "FAS birthday 2" Video of Ellen explaining differences in Foreign Accent Syndrome manifestations learned over four years.
- "Foreign Accent Syndrome - Ellen5e Learning and teaching Ellens- FAS_Birthday_4"- video of Ellen speaking four years post onset of Foreign Accent Syndrome. Shows adaptation technique for singing and speech. May 11, 2013.