Foreign Accent Syndrome: Does It Really Exist?

Foreign accent syndrome is a rare medical condition in which a person suddenly begins to speak in a different accent (which is foreign). IN foreign accent syndrome, the affected person speaks the normal native (or usual language), but in a different accent (not in a different language). Some common accent changes are from Japanese to Korean, British English to French, American-English to British English, and Spanish to Hungarian.

1907 marks the year when Foreign Accent Syndrome was described for the first time. It was discovered by a French neurologist, Pierre Marie, native of Paris, and who served as an assistant neurologist to the renowned French neurologist Jean- Marie Charcot. His name is also associated with several other diseases that affect the nervous system, such as "Marie's anarthria" and "Marie's ataxia", just to name a few. Later on in 1919, another case of Foreign Accent Syndrome was reported in a study made in Czech Republic, and in 1941 in a young woman (from Norway) who developed a strong German accent after a severe head injury from a shrapnel. Between 1941 and 2009, approximately 61 cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome have been reported in the world.

How Does Foreign Accent Syndrome Develop?

Foreign Accent Syndrome can develop from several medical conditions affecting the brain. On top of the list, strokes are the most common causes for this disorder.

Demyelinating diseases of the brain such as Multiple Sclerosis can also be the cause of Foreign Accent Syndrome. In fact, there has been a reported case of the disorder developing after that disease.

Researchers have identified certain parts of the brain to be associated with specific linguistic abilities. Based on the affected brain area, the overall speech can be altered either by pitch, or by pronunciation (wrongful pronunciation of certain syllables), or by intonation and accents in the speech. Other speech alterations include vowel distortions, substitutions or prolongations (for example, instead of saying “yes”, one might say “yeah” or “yah”). Affected persons may also experience words insertion (such as inserting “uh” or “uhm” before every sentence), which they never used to do before.

In some cases, all those variants can be affected and the resulting speech sounds as if it were said in a foreign accent. It has been hypothesized that the cerebellum (part of the brain which controls motor coordination) might be involved in the pathophysiology of foreign accent syndrome, and this could support the facts according to which the disturbance in this condition is of a mechanical nature, secondary to brain injury.

Although for most people it might seem as if the individuals suffering from foreign accent syndrome are executing their speech without difficulties, the affected individuals actually feel like they are suffering from a speech disorder as this seems very unnatural to them. A lot of patients affected by the disorder report that the condition is a source of great distress in their personal life.

See Also: Aphasia Speech Disorder: Understanding the Language of Aphasia

How Is Foreign Accent Syndrome Diagnosed?

Foreign Accent Syndrome is an extremely rare medical condition. Thus, diagnosing it would require a comprehensive and multifactorial assessment of the individual affected, so as to ensure that any other causes are eliminated that could justify the suddenly acquired foreign accent. Additionally, psychiatric evaluation is necessary to rule out any psychiatric diseases that could explain this syndrome. Brain imaging (MRI, CT Scan, PET and SPECT Scans) is also required to rule out any organic masses or lesions in the brain area responsible for speech, melody and rhythm. An Electroencephalogram (EEE) could also be used to analyze brain activity in the brain areas that are of interest here. Another key diagnostic criteria for Foreign Accent Syndrome is the fact that the any other organic cause or psychiatric condition (such as conversion disorder) should be ruled out as the cause of the accent change.

Treatment

The majority of Foreign Accent Syndrome sufferers have reported that living with this illness has not been a pleasant experience. People fail to recognize them on the street, and somehow they feel like they have lost their sense of appurtenance or belonging in their country, community and even worse, their family. However, Foreign Accent Syndrome is not a fatality, and as a matter of fact it is very far from being one.

With speech therapy, the affected person can be taught to move her lips and her jaw to produce better sounds when speaking. This would include a set of exercises that aim at improving the quality of speech. Counseling is particularly important for the affected person, but also for her family, given that Foreign Accent Syndrome can be an extremely distressing condition. For instance, the young Norwegian woman (1941) who developed a German accent after having been hit by a shrapnel during World War 2 was being seen by her entourage as a German spy; and this is particularly dangerous giving the political setting of a war during that period.

Prevention is better than Cure

It’s difficult (even impossible) to predict that you would go to bed and wake up the next morning with a French accent, if you are not French. But even though we can’t make such predictions, we can certainly decrease the risk factors that lead to Foreign Accent Syndrome, the most important one being strokes.

See Also: Language Development In Bilingual Children

Consequently, a tight control of blood pressure and glycemic index (blood sugar) should be performed at all times. Ensure that you stick to your medications schedule and take them consistently. In addition, it is necessary to adopt a healthy diet with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and foods that are rich in omega-3 and low in bad cholesterol). This is due to the fact that such food groups are cardio protective and are also good for your blood circulation. Maintaining a healthy weight is also necessary in decreasing your risk of strokes secondary to high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. And finally, for those who smoke (be it lightly or heavily), it might be wise to consider and take action to quit, as smoking increases your risk of cardiovascular events (heart attacks) and strokes.