Have you heard about foreign accent syndrome
Imagine you grew up in Mumbai, India speaking English with a standard Indian accent. However, after suffering a stroke, you notice that your speech begins to sound what seems like a British accent, even though you have never lived in Britain nor have any British relatives. This condition is a real medical phenomenon called Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS).
How does FAS affect speech?
FAS affects only the accent, not the native language. You will still speak in full sentences correctly but with a different accent. FAS has been reported to cause accent switches like American English to British, Japanese to Korean, and Spanish to Hungarian. It can also cause slight pronunciation errors. For example, "ball" might be pronounced as "pall," or "cat" might be pronounced as "cot."
What causes FAS?
FAS is primarily triggered by damage to specific areas of the brain, particularly Broca's area, responsible for controlling the melody and rhythm of speech. This damage can disrupt the way the tongue is placed in the mouth during speech, leading to a change in accent. FAS can result from head injuries, strokes, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, brain hemorrhage, or emotional stress-triggering conversion disorder.
Risk factors
Having aphasia, a brain disorder affecting language comprehension, communication, and writing, or apraxia, a neurological condition hindering learned movements like tying shoelaces, increases the risk for FAS. Moreover, a high risk for stroke; dysarthria, speech difficulties due to brain damage; agraphia, loss of writing ability; or alexia, trouble reading aloud or understanding written words, can also increase one's likelihood of developing FAS.
Treatment options
In many cases, the patient might revert to their original accent, however, for some, this shift could be permanent. In such cases, speech and language therapy can help manage the condition, and involve learning new ways to move your lips and jaws while speaking. This therapy might also include counseling to assist in dealing with the emotional adjustments that FAS can bring about.
