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Headache Gives British Woman a Chinese Accent

'Foreign Accent Syndrome' apparently a real thing

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 19, 2010 4:25 PM CDT

(Newser) – As if migraine sufferers didn't already have enough to worry about, a woman in Plymouth, England, recently had a headache so powerful that it replaced her British accent with a Chinese one. As ridiculous as it sounds, doctors say she actually has a rare condition known as Foreign Accent Syndrome, which occurs when the part of the brain that controls speech is damaged, reports the Daily Mail, your go-to source for weird stories about medicine and language.

The woman, Sarah Colwill, 35, developed the accent after a migraine so bad she had to call an ambulance. Now she's undergoing speech therapy to try to bring back her original voice. “'I have never been to China,” she says. “It is very frustrating and I just want my own voice back, but I don't know if I ever will. … I have had my friends hanging up on me because they think I'm a hoax caller.”

Migraines can do strange things to you.
Migraines can do strange things to you.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 18 comments
sailor86
Jul 13, 2010 8:28 PM CDT
C'mon people. The woman said she's never been to China. We all know it's impossible to affect a Chinese accent without having gone to visit China first.
rm8471
Apr 20, 2010 2:13 PM CDT
I don't buy it. I was a RN for 25 years. I saw a video of someone like this who allegedly was stuck with a Dutch or German accent or whatever. No, I did not believe it. It smelled of "fake" all over it, IMHO. Ditto, here.
Observer
Apr 20, 2010 2:49 AM CDT
What BS. This chick is faking it.
 

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