This is a curious topic that we’ve written about previously, but one that interests me because all of my life people have asked me where I’m from. Trish grew up in Venezuela, yet very few people ask where she’s from because she speaks without any noticeable Latin accent.
I didn’t originally gain an accent because I had moved from somewhere else where people spoke differently. But, for whatever reason, my speech was somehow different…different enough that when I was in fourth grade I was sent to a speech therapist who visited our school every week. I remember the nice woman who would try to tell me how to move my tongue when I talked.
After leaving Minnesota, the inquiries about my origin became more specific. It was usually…”Are you from Canada?” When I go back to Minnesota, it seems that everyone there speaks with an accent, even though I hadn’t noticed so much when I was living there. And still people there ask where I’m from.
I’ve never had surgery that somehow accounted for how the woman in the video and others gained their accents. So I guess mine was a speech impediment. Trish still thinks I speak with accent, but she relates it to Minnesota-talk. ‘Ya, sure, doncha know, you betcha, aye?’ That’s an exaggeration. But sort of what I hear when I go back.
I heard about how the woman in the video awoke from surgery with a British accent from Connie Cannon, who offered three possible reasons for foreign accent syndrome. Apparently, there are about 100 cases of foreign accent syndrome.
Here are Connie’s thoughts…
“I’m wondering if, while deeply anesthetized, these folks experience one of three potential events: they either return to a former life lived in the country where the language is native, (one women who had surgery awakened with a permanent, strong Irish accent for which no one has any explanation….true in each of the 100 cases), or perhaps they have become hosts for a discarnate entity, (possession or spirit attachment), or, their soul “walked out” and a different soul “walked in”….a phenomenon extensively explored by Ruth Montgomery. (I’m not sure where my personal belief is concerning Walk-ins.)”
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Of course mainstream science doesn’t accept any of those possibilities, which are metaphysical in nature. But there seems to be no simple scientific explanation. It remains a mystery. Supposedly, there are also cases where the person speaks a different language, not just an accent. If that’s true, then the mystery is even deeper.
There is another case where an American woman from several generations of Americans, awoke from surgery speaking very fluent French. She could still speak English somewhat, but always with a profound French accent, and she was most comfortable speaking French. She had never been to France, knew no one there, and did not take French in school. It was a complete mystery. I find it compelling that the change is permanent. The patient never returns to his or her original English language. Science studies it but has no explanations. They even perform brain scans on these folks, and the brain exhibits ZERO change, specifically in the area of the gray matter that signals our speech. An awesome and challenging enigma. I would really love to learn if these patients express personality shifts, as well. That could be telling in certain ways.
I’ve been fascinated by this syndrome ever since in the 1970s my uncle, who died of malignant melanoma, went into a coma and emerged from it with a heavy German accent. He didn’t speak German but spoke with that accent for the rest of his short life.
Wow, DJan! What did he have to say about it? Do you recall?
I think a past life gets triggered somehow.
I think Ruth Montgomery said that with Walk Ins there are other noticeable changes, such as, someone who beforehand was quiet is now more outgoing,
Someone who never swore, now easily swears .
It is all so interesting. Also, in the few interviews I’ve seen the person who’s accent has changed isn’t happy about it.
Also, their accents tend to be of a certain dialect. I think if most of us wanted to fake a British accent we would try the “Queens” English, not cockney.
Definitely the queen’s english and not cockney!
I can’t watch the clip. 🙁
I’m with Connie .
It doesn’t show up, Nat?
No, it says not available in your country.
That’s what I figured!