What Is Foreign Accent Syndrome?

Foreign accent syndrome is a condition of speech change. It is not well documented, but it may be an indication of severe neurological damage. There are also registered cases that link it to mental illness.

There are a large number of disorders related to speech disorders, and some of them are very common. On the other hand, it is also the more rare ones that arouse curiosity, such as foreign accent syndrome.

Are you interested in knowing what it is and what causes it? Keep reading for and find out!

Foreign accent syndrome

This is a strange speech disorder. The first reference we have dates back to 1907. The patients who suffer from this pronounce the words with an accent that is different from the original, so that it seems as if you are talking to someone from another country.

Foreign accent syndrome is not only limited to the pronunciation of words, but it can also damage the syntax and vocabulary of those who suffer. Furthermore, there are reports that claim that the length of the sentences is also affected. What is strange is that the newly adopted accent is in many cases from a country that the person has never visited.

Causes of foreign accent syndrome

For a long time, professionals have only associated this with neurological problems. By that we mean that there will usually have been situations that have caused brain damage, such as a stroke. However, there have also been cases of the syndrome that specialists have attributed to a psychiatric or mixed origin.

Neurological causes

This is the most important trigger for the syndrome, but we still do not know the exact mechanism that causes it. Various neurological observation techniques have shown the damage in different areas of the brain, such as the area of movement and language in the dominant hemisphere.

In addition to stroke, there are other situations that are capable of damaging these areas of the brain, where we have highlighted the following:

Head injuries
Aneurysm
Multiple sclerosis
Brain tumors

Psychiatric causes

In recent years, there have been reports of patients with foreign accent syndrome showing no signs of brain damage. However, they will have suffered from psychiatric or mental ailments, showing that this disorder is more complex than we thought.

In this sense, specialists mention psychosis, conversion disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia among the major mental illnesses associated with this. In the specific case of psychosis, a newly adopted accent will be latent in the course of the disease. However, it decreases as the patient gets better.

Mixed causes

In these cases, the patient usually has neurological damage in the beginning, and later they develop a psychiatric disorder. As such, we cannot attribute this to a specific cause. We characterize it as a loss of identity and the development of a new personality.

At this point, it is worth emphasizing that a variant of the syndrome is associated with development and growth. Here is evidence of cases where patients with this disorder have no brain damage or mental disorder.

Symptoms of foreign accent syndrome

This syndrome is characterized by a variation in the individual’s pronunciation, and the individual may not notice the change. In such cases, there may be segment and prosodic deficits:

Segment deficit : It is possible to notice a larger change in the vowels since patients tend to increase or decrease the time to pronounce them. On the other hand, there can be very subtle changes in consonants and errors in pronunciation.
Prosodic deficits : Here we refer to a change in the rhythm and intonation of different words and expressions. We can also find a reduction in the time between syllables and an inversion of the intonation of the phrases.

Diagnosis

People who suffer from this syndrome usually do not notice the variation in the pronunciation itself, as such the observation is usually made by a third party. The official diagnosis should be made by a specialist. However, it can be difficult because many disorders are similar.

To make a correct diagnosis, the doctor will confirm the person’s medical history, family history and the patient’s exposure to a foreign language. They should also examine the muscles used for speech, as they are usually affected.

In many cases, the patient will require imaging that observes the brain and its behavior to search for neurological damage. MRI and computer-generated axial tomographs are useful.

Treatment for foreign accent syndrome

In most cases, the changes in the pronunciation disappear by themselves after a few days or weeks, so medical intervention is not necessary. Nevertheless, there are cases of the syndrome that do not go away and can remain for years.

Specialists consider this particular disorder to be a motor change with neurological damage, as they use therapy to solve both problems. First, the specialist focuses on the neurological or psychological problem that underlies the disorder.

On the other hand, professionals have demonstrated the effectiveness of language therapies when working with foreign accent syndrome. These have helped patients restore their original accents. Similarly, a study at the University of Malaga demonstrated the effectiveness of including donepezil in treatment.

Aftermath in the lives of those affected

Despite the fact that the syndrome does not represent a danger to the lives of those who suffer from it, it can have an enormous mental and social impact. This is due to the difficulty of communicating for patients. After all, it becomes difficult to understand what they are saying.

However, it is important not to ignore the presence. This is because foreign accent syndrome can be an indication of some kind of underlying neurological or mental disorder. As such, it is always best to see a specialist as soon as possible.