An American woman woke up with a British accent. Is this really possible?
Apparently, yes, it is possible. Have you ever heard of the Foreign Language Syndrome?
Watch the report about Karen Butler, who blames a sedative used during dental surgery, for changing her voice into a British accent. You can read the transcript below.
If only my students could wake up with a British accent! :-)
TRANSCRIPT:
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Would you ever believe that an American woman from Portland, Oregon who talks like this:
“Hi this is Karen, sorry I can’t come to the phone at the moment.” (Video: KATU)
Could leave a dentist appointment sounding like this?
“Oh where are you from, where did you get that accent? Well I got it from my dentist in Toledo!” (Video: WEWS)
Karen Butler suffers from an extremely rare disorder, Foreign Accent Syndrome. Most sufferers contract the syndrome after a stroke or brain trauma.
But Butler blames the anesthetic, Halcion, for her new voice after receiving oral surgery. Doctors are puzzled about her case because the syndrome has never been linked to a sedative. (Video: MSNBC)
KATU speaks with a stroke doctor about the logistics:
Reporter: “Why accent instead of just saying it’s a speech impediment or change? It seems interesting that it becomes an accent.”
Doctor: “As you’ve already pointed out it’s exceedingly rare. Now stroke very commonly affects language and most typically someone who has a stroke has trouble speaking... This is a very small part of the brain that affects language, that affects the articulation and intonation of speech.”
The condition is so rare only 100 cases have been reported worldwide since the 1900s. While American media celebrates Butler’s oddity, NBC reveals the cultural backlash in other countries with similar cases:
“Hello, my name is Kate...”
“When her voice changed, life changed. She lost her job and became depressed.”
“You lose your identity, because you don’t know who you are anymore. You don’t fit in anywhere.”
“Sarah Callwell knows just how she feels. Her accent changed earlier this year. Now some people think she sounds Chinese.”
“At first I felt very alone, I felt like I did not belong in this country anymore.”
The original accent can return to sufferers of the syndrome, but Butler tells the Oregonian she feels more outgoing thanks to the change:
“It wasn’t until this happened to me and everywhere you go people are so curious to know about who you are and what you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done... It has just really changed a great deal of my willingness.”
