Foreign accent syndrome

Foreign accent syndrome is a medical syndrome in which people develop speech patterns that are thought of as a foreign accent. The change in speech is different from the person's native accent, even though they have not lived in the place where the new accent comes from. This happens because the brain damage causes "speech errors" that sound like a specific dialect to listeners. For example, a speaker might lengthen their vowels or change their pitch in a way that happens to match the rules of a different language. Because the listeners hear these patterns, they "perceive" or label the voice as a foreign accent, even though the speaker has had no contact with that culture.

Foreign accent syndrome usually results from a stroke, but can also develop from head trauma, migraines or developmental problems. The syndrome might come due to lesions in the speech production part of the brain, or may also be considered a neuropsychiatric condition. The condition was first known in 1907,Marie P. (1907). Presentation de malades atteints d'anarthrie par lesion de l'hemisphere gauche du cerveau. Bulletins et Memoires Societe Medicale des Hopitaux de Paris, 1: 158–160. and between 1941 and 2009 there were 62 recorded people known to have this syndome.

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Category:Speech disorders