What Is Foreign Accent Syndrome?

There are a number of speech disorders, some of which are very common. In addition, there are others that are rarer and more curious, such as the foreign accent syndrome. Do you want to know what it is and what are its causes?

It is a strange speech disorder first described in 1907. In it, the patient’s pronunciation is perceived with a different accent than the native one, giving the impression of talking to a foreigner.

The foreign accent syndrome is not just limited to the pronunciation of words, but it can also damage the syntax and vocabulary of those who suffer from it. In addition, there are reports that describe affectations in sentence length and use of accents from several countries around the world that the patient has never visited.

Causes of Foreign Accent Syndrome

For a long time this syndrome was only associated with neurological causes. In that sense, it used to come from situations that caused brain damage, such as a stroke. However, cases of psychiatric and mixed foreign accent syndrome have been described in the scientific literature.

neurological causes

This is the main triggering factor for the syndrome, but the exact mechanism by which it occurs is unknown. Various neurological observation techniques showed damage in different areas of the brain:  motor and language areas of the dominant hemisphere.

In addition to strokes, there are other situations that can damage these areas of the brain, including the following:

• head injury
• aneurysms
• Multiple sclerosis
• brain tumors

Psychiatric causes

In recent years, cases of patients with foreign accent syndrome without brain damage have been reported. However, they  suffered from psychiatric or psychological conditions, thus demonstrating that the disorder is more complex than previously believed.

In this sense, the main associated mental illnesses include psychosis, conversion disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In the specific case of psychosis, the newly acquired accent will last throughout the attack. However, it usually goes away at the same time as the psychotic episode.

mixed causes

In these cases,  at first the patient usually presents neurological damage and then develops a psychiatric disorder, so that a specific cause cannot be attributed. They are characterized by losing their identity and developing a new personality.

At this point, it is worth highlighting a variant of the syndrome linked to development and growth. Here, they evidenced cases of patients with this disease who do not have brain damage or psychiatric disorders.

Foreign Accent Syndrome Symptoms

This curious syndrome is characterized by a variation in the individual’s pronunciation, who may not notice the change. In this way, we can find segmental and prosodic deficits:

• Segmental deficits: it  is possible to notice a greater change in vowels, as patients tend to increase or decrease their pronunciation time. On the other hand, there are very subtle changes in consonants and errors in pronunciation.
• Prosodic deficits: We refer to a change in the rhythm and intonation of various words and phrases. Furthermore, it can be seen the reduction of time between syllables and the inversion of the intonation of a sentence.

Diagnosis

People who suffer from this syndrome usually don’t notice the variation in their dialect, so the observation usually comes from others. The diagnosis must be made by a specialist, but this can be difficult due to the large number of similar pathologies.

To make a true diagnosis, the doctor will check the patient’s medical history, family history, and foreign language exposure. In addition, a careful examination of the speech muscles should also be done, as they are often affected.

In many cases,  to check for neurological damage, an imaging test that examines the brain and its behavior can be ordered. Computed axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are useful alternatives.

Treatment of foreign accent syndrome

In most cases, the change in pronunciation disappears spontaneously after a few days or weeks, so no medical intervention is needed. However, there are cases where the syndrome does not disappear and can remain for years.

This particular disorder should be considered a motor disorder with neurological damage, so therapy will aim to resolve both problems. First, the underlying neurological or psychological pathology will be addressed.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of speech therapies has been demonstrated in the foreign accent syndrome. They helped patients regain their native accent. In the same vein, a study at the University of Malaga demonstrated the effectiveness of including donepezil in these therapies.

Impact on people’s lives

Although this syndrome does not represent a danger to the life of those who suffer from it, it can have great psychological and social repercussions. This is because it hinders communication skills, impairing understanding of what those affected are saying.

Furthermore, it is important not to ignore its presence, as the foreign accent syndrome can be indicative of some neurological or psychological pathology that we are not aware of. Therefore, it is better to consult an expert as soon as possible.