top of page
Search

Accent Alchemy: Decoding Foreign Accent Syndrome

  • Writer: TLPMC - Taylor's Lakeside Pre-Medical Club
    TLPMC - Taylor's Lakeside Pre-Medical Club
  • Feb 10, 2024
  • 2 min read

Article by: Devyaanee A/P Ramesh


Have you ever heard of the foreign accent syndrome((FAS)? Yes , you read it right. It's a condition in which you suddenly change the way you sound to another accent which you have never spoken in. As normal as it sounds, sadly, it is a rare medical condition. 


Before we dive into the factors pertaining to this condition, there are a few types of FAS. The two major types are structural; which involves damage to the area of the brain that is involved in speech and functional roles; with no particular reason but it may occur after seizures, mental health conditions and many more. This type (the functional type of FAS) is also termed “physiogenic”, which translates into isn’t structural. 


With that being said, the cause of FAS can also be classified according to the types of it. Taking structural FAS into consideration, anything that is related to the brain has to be the reason, for eg, stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain cancer, or brain aneurysm (a ballooning arising from a weakened area in the wall of blood vessels in the brain). On the other hand, the cause of functional FAS is unclear. But the experts have come up with the idea that it might result from brain activity that isn’t properly organized or too active areas of the brain.



Is there a particular cure to FAS? Well, it may be reverted back to their normal accent in some cases. However it might be a permanent change in some cases. To be noted, speech and language therapy may help to manage FAS up to a certain degree.






References 

  1. Sreenivas, S. (n.d.). What Is Foreign Accent Syndrome? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/brain/foreign-accent-syndrome

  2. Foreign Accent Syndrome — A Known Condition That Only Sounds Unfamiliar. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25242-foreign-accent-syndrome-fas

  3. Marini, A. (2014, August 18). 10 Weird but Real Medical Conditions. EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/weird-but-real-medical-conditions/

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page