Fla. Woman Has Stroke, Gets British Accent ~ Extremely Rare 'Foreign-Accent Syndrome'

WKMG ^ | 11.19.03 | WKMG

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Roberts Diagnosed With Extremely Rare 'Foreign-Accent Syndrome'

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A University of Central Florida speech expert has diagnosed an extremely rare disorder in a Sarasota, Fla., woman that caused her to speak with a British accent after she suffered a stroke.

The case of foreign-accent syndrome is one of fewer than 20 reported worldwide since 1919, according to Jack Ryalls, professor of communicative disorders at UCF.

Judi Roberts was doing a crossword puzzle four years ago when her right hand went numb. She suffered a stroke, which left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to talk. But when her speech finally returned, her deep northern accent was gone.

Roberts now speaks with a higher-pitched British accent.

Ryalls has conducted a series of tests on Roberts and says the syndrome is the only explanation.

Roberts say she has been accused of faking the accent. She became a recluse and even contemplated moving to England until she read about the disorder last spring and contacted experts.

[tubebender]

This is a no brainer (he he) she was a brit in her other life...

[Arioch7]

LOL! I am from the Boston area and beive me, I have a speech impediment!

Unfortunately, my impediment is more annoying than melodious.

[SquirrelKing]

Does she have a silly walk, too?

[Serb5150]

This isn't so unusual. People who have strokes often acquire Swedish accents. No joke.

[martin_fierro]

[OESY]

This reminds me of one of Reagan's favorite jokes about the Italian bard (presumably, not Frank Sinatra) who was incessantly singing 'O Solo Mio' to the annoyance of all around.

God interceded, asked the bard to stop, and when he didn't, took away one-quarter of his brain, but the bard kept singing: "O Solo" over and over again.

So, God interceded a second time, taking this time another quarter of the bard's brain, leaving the bard with just a half a brain, but the bard continued "O So".

Getting more and more frustrated, God finally removed the whole brain, and the bard began to sing "My Irish eyes are smiling".

[Verginius Rufus]

What I'd like to know is how much research has been done on the connection between crossword puzzles and strokes. There could be grounds for a class-action lawsuit against newspapers (such as The New York Times) which publish crossword puzzles... In the meantime, I'm going to avoid doing any.

[Charles Henrickson]

People who have strokes often acquire Swedish accents.

I didn't know a stroke could improve your speech.

[BfloGuy]

it turned out, it was a speech impediment

Same thing happened to me once. I worked with a guy who had a fascinating accent; I placed it as Czech maybe, or possibly even Rumanian.

One day I asked him where he was from and he said, "right here".

"No," I answered, "where are you from originally, where were you born?"

"Right here", he insisted. Finally my thick brain processed the data and I realized he had a speech impediment and I finally shut up.

[monkey]

.

[shaggy eel]

,,, my accent worked for me. I claimed it was a disability and got a grant paid out!

[Askel5]

[+1] Funny

(and I've only read the headline)

[Askel5]

== was doing a crossword puzzle

There you go. Reading more than talking, that's what does it.

(And explains the aluminium pronunciation of words one's never heard.)

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Better than a Scottish one, I suppose.

"I'm dead sexy! Get in my belly!"

[JoeSchem]

Well, now we know Rush was lying all those years when he said he had half his brain tied behind his back. If he had been, he'd have sounded British . . . .

[Consort]

A more severe stroke will turn her into a Democrat.

[kylaka]

Well, if nothing else it explains Peter Jennings, who should have a French accent, but inexplicably now and then has a decidedly British accent.

[Alouette]

I had an Asian co-worker who spoke with a very peculiar accent that didn't sound like any Japanese, Chinese, or Thai accent that I ever heard. I asked him where he was from.

He said, "I'm from the South."

I asked him, "South Korea or South Vietnam?"

He said, "SOUTH CAROLINA!"

[Alouette]

I had an Asian co-worker who spoke with a very peculiar accent that didn't sound like any Japanese, Chinese, or Thai accent that I ever heard. I asked him where he was from.

He said, "I'm from the South."

I asked him, "South Korea or South Vietnam?"

He said, "SOUTH CAROLINA!"

[wideminded]

But when her speech finally returned, her deep northern accent was gone.

Only people from the south claim that there is such a thing as a deep northern accent.

I actually believe this woman. When visiting one of my English relatives some Americans who were with me claimed that I assumed an English acccent. I was totally unconscious of the fact that I was doing this. I had not been in England in many years although I did grow up with one English parent.