Sharon Campbell Rayment had resided in Canada her entire life. She worked as a pastor of a church in Wallaceburg, Ontario and enjoyed riding horses in her spare time. On July 11, 2008, she rode her horse as usual — but that day was anything but ordinary. On that day, Campbell Rayment’s horse, Malachi, spooked and threw her backward onto the ground. She hit her head twice before falling unconscious (Epp, 2021). The doctors at the local hospital told her that she had suffered only a mild concussion, and a week later, she was back to her normal life. However, she eventually lost her ability to speak (Epp, 2021). Campbell Rayment eventually regained this ability with the help of a speech therapist, but her new voice was different than before. Instead of speaking with her usual Canadian accent, Campbell Rayment now spoke with a Scottish accent (Epp, 2021).
What happened to Campbell Rayment may sound strange, but this phenomenon has been documented in science previously, termed Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). This condition is a speech disorder that causes the affected person to speak with a perceived foreign accent (“Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS),” 2021). It is most commonly caused by stroke or other injuries to the brain (“Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS),” 2021). The first case of FAS was identified in the early 1900s by French neurologist Pierre Marie, who saw a patient who had suddenly developed an Alsatian accent (Bhandari, 2011). Perhaps the most well-known instance of this disorder was that of a woman from the Netherlands during World War II. She was hit by shrapnel, and even though she recovered from her injuries, she developed an accent very different from her own. She was subsequently ostracized by the general society, as she now spoke with a German accent (Greenhalgh, 2011).
People who suffer from FAS do not lose their ability to speak. They continue to be as coherent and intelligible as they were before the accident. They simply now speak with what is perceived by others to be a different accent. However, people with FAS do not actually develop a new or different accent. Instead, their condition comes as a result of changes to their speech patterns caused by neurological damage (Jewell, 2019). Pronunciation of certain letters or parts of words can change, as can tone, pitch, or specific sounds of language (Jewell, 2019). This gives the impression that one is speaking with a distinct accent, and with the vast range of accents around the world, this pattern of speech can sometimes be attributed to certain regions or nations. An example of this would be if one stretched out vowel sounds and lowered their tone to change “yeah” (English) to “jah” (German) (“Foreign Accent Syndrome,” 2021).
FAS is typically caused by neurological damage, but doctors have not yet been able to determine the specific mechanisms that cause the physical symptoms of the syndrome. As such, little is known about the disorder with regards to potential treatments. Currently, the standard of care is to simply manage the symptoms. This is typically done by going to speech therapy to retrain the mind and mouth and attending counseling. However, given the rarity of and lack of information about FAS, there is a general societal misunderstanding around the disease. In fact, many people deny that the disease is even real. For instance, UK citizen Julie Matthias was left with a new accent that sounded like a blend of French and Chinese after having been in a serious car accident (Robson, 2015). Matthias has struggled with her condition, finding it painful and upsetting that she has not been able to hear her normal voice in several years. However, perhaps even more upsetting, is people’s shift in attitude towards her due to the syndrome. Clients at her beauty salon suddenly began talking down to her because they assumed she could not understand English (Robson, 2015). Despite many years of searching for a direct cause for her change in accent, she has not been able to, leaving those around her to believe that she had been making the disease up entirely (Robson, 2015). While patients such as Matthias are deeply affected by FAS, individuals often treat the disorder as a “joke condition,” since it lacks a discovered cause or treatment (Robson, 2015).
In the present day, Campbell Rayment has meanwhile embraced her new Scottish accent. Despite having experienced severe anxiety and isolation, she has adjusted to life with a different speech pattern, now thirteen years after her accident (Epp, 2021). After taking a trip to Scotland with her family, Campbell Rayment was even able to link her accent to a specific town in northeast Scotland (Epp, 2021). While she had once believed that her accent would eventually fade away, she has now come to terms with the fact that this change is most likely permanent. Campbell Rayment, who does indeed have some Scottish ancestry, jokes that “it’s an old ancestor that has been resurrected to help [her] out” (Epp, 2021).
About the Author
Samantha Herrerra is a senior at Harvard College concentrating in Neuroscience.
References
Bhandari, H. S. (2011). Transient foreign accent syndrome. Case Reports. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4466
Epp, P. (2021). She’s learned to live – and thrive – with Foreign Accent Syndrome. Wallaceburg Courier Press. https://www.wallaceburgcourierpress.com/news/local-news/shes-learned-to-live-and-thrive-with-foreign-accent-syndrome
Foreign Accent Syndrome. (2021). Winchester Hospital. https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=445940
Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). (2021). The University of Texas at Dallas. https://websites.utdallas.edu/research/FAS/
Greenhalgh, J. (2011). A Curious Case of Foreign Accent Syndrome. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/06/01/136824428/a-curious-case-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
Jewell, T. (2019). Foreign Accent Syndrome: What is It? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/foreign-accent-syndrome
Robson, D. (2015). The mind-bending effects of foreign accent syndrome. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150513-the-weird-effects-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
What happened to Campbell Rayment may sound strange, but this phenomenon has been documented in science previously, termed Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). This condition is a speech disorder that causes the affected person to speak with a perceived foreign accent (“Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS),” 2021). It is most commonly caused by stroke or other injuries to the brain (“Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS),” 2021). The first case of FAS was identified in the early 1900s by French neurologist Pierre Marie, who saw a patient who had suddenly developed an Alsatian accent (Bhandari, 2011). Perhaps the most well-known instance of this disorder was that of a woman from the Netherlands during World War II. She was hit by shrapnel, and even though she recovered from her injuries, she developed an accent very different from her own. She was subsequently ostracized by the general society, as she now spoke with a German accent (Greenhalgh, 2011).
People who suffer from FAS do not lose their ability to speak. They continue to be as coherent and intelligible as they were before the accident. They simply now speak with what is perceived by others to be a different accent. However, people with FAS do not actually develop a new or different accent. Instead, their condition comes as a result of changes to their speech patterns caused by neurological damage (Jewell, 2019). Pronunciation of certain letters or parts of words can change, as can tone, pitch, or specific sounds of language (Jewell, 2019). This gives the impression that one is speaking with a distinct accent, and with the vast range of accents around the world, this pattern of speech can sometimes be attributed to certain regions or nations. An example of this would be if one stretched out vowel sounds and lowered their tone to change “yeah” (English) to “jah” (German) (“Foreign Accent Syndrome,” 2021).
FAS is typically caused by neurological damage, but doctors have not yet been able to determine the specific mechanisms that cause the physical symptoms of the syndrome. As such, little is known about the disorder with regards to potential treatments. Currently, the standard of care is to simply manage the symptoms. This is typically done by going to speech therapy to retrain the mind and mouth and attending counseling. However, given the rarity of and lack of information about FAS, there is a general societal misunderstanding around the disease. In fact, many people deny that the disease is even real. For instance, UK citizen Julie Matthias was left with a new accent that sounded like a blend of French and Chinese after having been in a serious car accident (Robson, 2015). Matthias has struggled with her condition, finding it painful and upsetting that she has not been able to hear her normal voice in several years. However, perhaps even more upsetting, is people’s shift in attitude towards her due to the syndrome. Clients at her beauty salon suddenly began talking down to her because they assumed she could not understand English (Robson, 2015). Despite many years of searching for a direct cause for her change in accent, she has not been able to, leaving those around her to believe that she had been making the disease up entirely (Robson, 2015). While patients such as Matthias are deeply affected by FAS, individuals often treat the disorder as a “joke condition,” since it lacks a discovered cause or treatment (Robson, 2015).
In the present day, Campbell Rayment has meanwhile embraced her new Scottish accent. Despite having experienced severe anxiety and isolation, she has adjusted to life with a different speech pattern, now thirteen years after her accident (Epp, 2021). After taking a trip to Scotland with her family, Campbell Rayment was even able to link her accent to a specific town in northeast Scotland (Epp, 2021). While she had once believed that her accent would eventually fade away, she has now come to terms with the fact that this change is most likely permanent. Campbell Rayment, who does indeed have some Scottish ancestry, jokes that “it’s an old ancestor that has been resurrected to help [her] out” (Epp, 2021).
About the Author
Samantha Herrerra is a senior at Harvard College concentrating in Neuroscience.
References
Bhandari, H. S. (2011). Transient foreign accent syndrome. Case Reports. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr.07.2011.4466
Epp, P. (2021). She’s learned to live – and thrive – with Foreign Accent Syndrome. Wallaceburg Courier Press. https://www.wallaceburgcourierpress.com/news/local-news/shes-learned-to-live-and-thrive-with-foreign-accent-syndrome
Foreign Accent Syndrome. (2021). Winchester Hospital. https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=445940
Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). (2021). The University of Texas at Dallas. https://websites.utdallas.edu/research/FAS/
Greenhalgh, J. (2011). A Curious Case of Foreign Accent Syndrome. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/06/01/136824428/a-curious-case-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
Jewell, T. (2019). Foreign Accent Syndrome: What is It? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/foreign-accent-syndrome
Robson, D. (2015). The mind-bending effects of foreign accent syndrome. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150513-the-weird-effects-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
