I just read an unusual article about an English woman who developed various foreign accents after having a stroke. She apparently has a case of Foreign Accent Syndrome and is unable to recognize that she nows speaks with some kind of Canadian-Slovakian-Jamaican accent. It sounds kind of funny, but I guess it’s really tough on her:
“I’ve lost my identity, because I never talked like this before. I’m a very different person and it’s strange and I don’t like it. It’s very hard and I get very upset in my head, but I’m getting better.”
When she says she’s getting better, I’m not sure if she means her accent is returning to normal or if she’s just getting used to having a different voice. In any case, I see her point about identity and can imagine how hard it’d be to interact with friends and family speaking like someone else. Just think if you woke up one day speaking like Jar Jar Binks and you couldn’t control it…shoot, you don’t even realize it until people threaten to hurt you.
What do you say? Do you think you have an accent? More than one? Has it changed over your lifetime? Does it mean anything to you?
10 comments ↓
Interesting! I know that people perceive each other one way or another based on things like speech…but I had never thought of how that would change a person’s life if you could no longer speak as you had in the past. That’s just so facinating.
However, I must say, that if I were to wake up speaking like Jar Jar Binks…I would have to end it all.
Especially now that Lucas has finished the series…at least before you could’ve applied for a job!
My accent in English does change, and often I don’t notice it until someone points it out. Product of learning English from a mix of Scottish and Australian teachers, I guess. Wonder what I’s speak like if I got dropped on my head these days. Jamaican with a hint of Swedish?
Adriana,
You’d be a good case study, what with having lived in so many different places. I’m not saying we should drop you on your head, though….
I just googled Foregin Accent Syndrome because I watched Primetime last night, August 9, 2006. I believe I suffer from this very condition! I’ve been to countless doctors, and I still don’t have answers. Some doctors think I’m making this up. I’m asked on a daily basis “what country are you from.” For a person, who’s family fought for THE USA in WWII, Somlia and Iraq twice its very hard to hear those words. Family members also don’t believe me. I’ve become depressed over this deal. It all started when I was involved in a car accident on March 4, 2006. About two months later, I was in a MRI scan and my body started shaking. The next day it happened again. Both times I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The second time was very different in that I woke up from the pain to find my voice had changed. At first, I didn’t think anything was wrong because I was pretty much in bed for a month and didn’t interact with people except for family. It hit me when my five year old said to me “Mommy you know your voice is very funny now. People aren’t going to like you now because you speak funny.” I went and bought a new camcorder the next day so I could see myself speak. He was right!!! I did speak very funny. Then, I started to realize that it was not going away when people in public would ask “what country are you from.” I even had a doctor tell me to go back to the country were I live. People don’t realize the damage they are inflicking onto someone with comments like that. Some of my family members even think that I’m making this up. Boy are they very wrong. I wish I could speak normal again. I mean normal in the since that I used to speak in. My New York accent!!!!! I’m hoping that those doctors from Primetime will email me back. I want to make an appointment with one of them. I really want to get answers to these questions I ask myself everyday.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Pattie. I hope you find someone who can help you.
For what it’s worth, I’ve read that most people with FAS manage to regain their original accent, so I wouldn’t give up hope!
Best,
Jim
hi i am a speech therapy student i am hoping to do my dissertation on the topic of FAS i wasn’t really sure what aspect to look into but having read some of the comments the psychological impact may be more intesting and fasinating than any of the more theoretical stuff. It does sound like Patttie could have FAS, she will have to be assessed by a neurolgist and SLT to confirm the diagnosis but it has never been believed to be psychogenic a common assumption of people who find it difficult to understand why someone would talk like that. Would be interesting to find out what happens good luck xx
Hi L,
Thanks for your comment. I think you could do a fascinating study on the psychological impact of living with FAS. It sounds like there aren’t too many cases out there, but I’m reminded of how Oliver Sacks addressed some major mind/body questions with a very small sample of patients.
Cheers,
Jim
Yeah the fact there are so few makes it so difficult for research in the area i wanted to do a study to see if FAS affects second language too in the same way as the mother tongue or wither it is just language specific. But where on earth would i find someone with FAS who was fluent in more than language with a pre morbid recording of speech in these languages haha anyway thanx 4 giving me something to think about.
I have had FAS for three years now and my normal speech has not returned. I was hit by a tow truck from behind in May 2005 which left me with a fractured right leg and common peroneal nerve palsy. August I woke up one morning speaking very slow which lasted a week then on morning I woke up sounding like someone from france, hatti or jamacia. I really want some one to test me. Dr Jack Ryalls from the University of Central Florida informed me that I had FAS.
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