Bravery

Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.”  (Amy Chua)

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is a medical condition in which patients develop speech patterns that are perceived as a foreign accent that is different from their native accent without having acquired it in the perceived accent's place of origin. It is most often caused by damage to the brain caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury, migraines or developmental problems. Other causes have also been reported including multiple sclerosis and conversion disorder and in some cases no clear cause has been identified.

FAS has been documented in cases around the world, including accent changes from Japanese to Korean, British English to French, American-English to British English, and Spanish to Hungarian. FAS speech may be altered in terms of timing, intonation, and tongue placement so that is perceived as sounding foreign. Speech remains highly intelligible and does not necessarily sound disordered.

The condition was first described in 1907 by the French neurologist Pierre Marie. Another case was reported in a Czech study in 1919 by German internist Alois Pick. Other well-known cases of FAS 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. Between 1941 and 2009 there were 62 recorded cases.

Your natural accent results from a system of sound patterns in your native language that you unconsciously learn as you grow up. This is known as the phonetic system. Your accent can change early in life as you’re exposed to different accents and speech patterns. But after your teenage years, your phonetic system stays mostly fixed. That’s what makes FAS so puzzling. Its symptoms affect the entire patterning of your phonetic system. Here’s how it can show up in your speech:

·         You have trouble pronouncing clusters of sound like S-T-R in words like “struck.”

·         You have trouble with sounds that require you to “tap” your tongue behind your top front teeth, such as “t” or “d.”

·         You pronounce vowels differently, such as saying “yah” where you used to say “yeah.”

·         You may add, remove, or substitute sounds, such as saying “suh-trike” instead of “strike,” or using an “r” instead of an “l.”

·         Your pitch or tone on certain sounds may be different.

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and medical history. They may also examine the muscles you use when you talk. Your doctor will likely need to see images of your brain. This can be done with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or computed tomography (CT) scan. Both of these imaging tests can create detailed pictures of features inside your brain. Because FAS is so rare, you’ll likely be seen by a team of specialists, including:

·         Speech-Language Pathologist A specialist in speech and communication disorders may record you reading aloud to help diagnose the exact extent of your accent changes. They may also use other medical tests to help rule out other speech disorders with similar symptoms like aphasia.

·         Neurologist A brain specialist can help identify possible causes of FAS symptoms. They will likely analyze your MRI or CT scans to try and interpret the link between your brain activity and your speech.

·         Psychologist A mental health specialist can help you cope with the social and emotional effects of your new accent.

Treatment for FAS depends on the underlying cause. If there are no underlying conditions, possible treatments may include:

·        Speech Therapy to learn how to recreate your previous accent through vocal exercises targeted at pronouncing sounds deliberately in your regular accent.

·        Counseling, Therapy, or Support Groups to help you cope with any issues in your life that result from FAS. These issues may include people thinking that you’re faking your new accent or feelings that you’ve lost a part of your identity. Therapies may include behavioral therapy strategies to help you cultivate positive and healthy habits to combat negative or destructive thoughts, feelings, or habits.

“Just remember, when someone has an accent, it means that he knows one more language than you do.” (Sidney Sheldon)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Foreign Accent Syndrome: What Is It?” by Healthline Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg

·        “Foreign accent syndrome” From Wikipedia

·        “What is Foreign Accent Syndrome?” by UT Dallas