Foreign Accent Syndrome

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:24 pm

I heard the story today about a woman from Newcastle with a strong Geordie accent. She had a stroke and went into a coma. When she woke up, she had a "Jamaican accent". It almost sounds like a joke so I looked it up:

Some patients who suffer brain injuries occasionally lose the ability to talk in their native accent - but now scientists may know why.

The condition, called "foreign accent syndrome", affects only a tiny number of patients.

It can mean that a native English speaker can end up sounding more like Spanish or French.

The way we speak is an important part of our personality and influences the way people interact with us

Dr Jennifer Gurd, neurologist

It can follow a stroke - or another kind of head injury, and while the problem often clears up on its own, it can be another highly upsetting blow for patients often struggling with other disabilities.

To add insult to injury, some doctors dismissed the problem as more likely to be psychiatric in origin than physical.

Now researchers at Oxford University have found that patients with "foreign accent syndrome" seem to share certain characteristics which might explain the problem.

A small number of them all had tiny areas of damage in various parts of the brain.

This might explain the combination of subtle changes to vocal features such as lengthening of syllables, altered pitch or mispronounced sounds which make a patient's pronunciation sound similar to a foreign accent.

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:48 pm

SnoozeControl wrote: I think I'd be happy to be able to talk at all after a stroke.

A guy on the radio said that given the choice of remaining in a coma or coming round with a different accent, he wouldn't go for the coma.........unless it was a Welsh accent

jbbarker1947 · Post by **jbbarker1947** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:57 pm

I having a sailing buddy that is Cockney (SP). He was born within the sound of some bell. I forget. When he gets drunk, his accent changes. He sounds like the GIECO gecko.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:19 pm

This is true, Unc'.

My husband when he is awake speaks in a totally different voice from what he used to have, it is higher pitched, weak, not accented.

Every two or three motnhs he talks in his sleep-and he talks normal. His voice is loud, his southern accent is there, all the words are there.

This is directly related to damage to specific areas of the brain.

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:48 pm

chonsigirl wrote: This is true, Unc'.

My husband when he is awake speaks in a totally different voice from what he used to have, it is higher pitched, weak, not accented.

Every two or three motnhs he talks in his sleep-and he talks normal. His voice is loud, his southern accent is there, all the words are there.

This is directly related to damage to specific areas of the brain.

My Mom's had a lot of Mini-strokes and some of those affected her voice for a short time. Just as well really otherwise I might not have spotted that anything was wrong

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:52 pm

That is good you noticed it, Unc'!

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:18 pm

This is interesting. Theres so much of the mind we still dont understand.

*shut up Nomad*

*you shut up*

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:22 pm

:wah: I heard that in the 3 Stooges voices too...................

Captain Ray · Post by **Captain Ray** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:38 pm

I read that if you smoke enough marijuana.. everone sounds like a Jamaican.

Raymond

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:58 pm

Captain Ray wrote: I read that if you smoke enough marijuana.. everone sounds like a Jamaican.

Raymond

ya mon