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American woman wakes up with British accent

British Accent - Level 4

An American woman has the rare Foreign Accent Syndrome. She went to bed with a huge headache and woke up with a British accent. This happened in 2015. She has woken up with an Australian and Irish accent before. These lasted two weeks but the UK accent stayed. She said her condition was "really difficult to begin with". She said: "I was really struggling. I have come to terms with the fact that I might sound like this forever."

Foreign Accent Syndrome happens after strokes, and injuries that damage the brain's language center. It varies in how it affects accents. In some cases, there is a hint of a foreign accent; in other cases, the accent can totally change. The condition was found in 1907 by a French neurologist. There have been just 60 documented cases over the past century. One of these was a Japanese man who woke up sounding Korean. He had never been to Korea.

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British Accent - Level 5

An American woman has the rare Foreign Accent Syndrome. The woman, Michelle Myers, 45, said that she went to bed with a "blinding headache" and woke up with a British accent. She has had the accent since 2015. Ms Myers has woken up speaking accents before. She was totally perplexed at speaking with an Australian or Irish accent. These lasted two weeks but the UK accent has remained. Myers said her condition was "really difficult to begin with". She said: "It was hard because I was really struggling. I have come to terms with the fact that I might sound like this forever."

Foreign Accent Syndrome usually occurs after strokes or brain injuries that damage the brain's language center. It varies in how much it affects someone's accent. In some cases, someone's language sounds like it has a hint of a foreign accent; in other cases, rhythm and stress can totally change. The condition was first documented in 1907 by a French neurologist. It is a relatively rare condition, with just 60 cases being documented over the past century. One of these was a Japanese stroke patient who woke up sounding Korean, even though he had never been to Korea.

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British Accent - Level 6

An American woman has been diagnosed with the rare Foreign Accent Syndrome. The woman, Michelle Myers, 45, said that in 2015 she went to bed with a "blinding headache" and woke up with a British accent. The accent has remained with her ever since. Ms Myers said she has woken up speaking a variety of accents before. She was totally perplexed at waking up and speaking with an Australian or Irish accent. These disappeared after two weeks but the UK accent has remained. Myers told journalists that she found her condition, "really difficult to begin with". She said: "It was hard because I was really struggling. I have come to terms with the fact that I might sound like this forever. I realize it's part of me now."

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that typically occurs after strokes or traumatic brain injuries that damage the language center of our brain. It varies in the degree to which it affects someone's language and accent. In some cases, someone's native language sounds like it is tinged with a foreign accent; in other instances, rhythm, stress and pronunciation can completely change. The condition was first documented in 1907 by French neurologist Pierre Marie. It is a relatively rare condition. Only about 60 cases of FAS have been documented over the past century. One of these was a Japanese stroke patient who woke up sounding Korean, even though he had never been to Korea.

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