An Australian dentist who developed an Irish accent after tonsillectomy, despite never having visited the country before, documented her vocal transformation a year later.
Brisbane pro Angie Yen, 29, who was born in Taiwan but moved to Australia when she was eight, didn’t know what to think of her new twang after having surgery on her tonsils in April 2021.
Ms Yen has never been to the European nation and has no Irish heritage.
The accent didn’t set in until eight days after the operation, in a phenomenon that even her doctors couldn’t explain at first.
Brisbane pro Angie Yen, 29, who was born in Taiwan but moved to Australia when she was eight, didn’t know what to think of her new twang after having surgery on her tonsils in April 2021
Scientist Karl Kruszelnicki said that the condition, dubbed Foreign Accent Syndrome, which has been recorded about 100 times in history, was likely caused by a brain disorder.
He hit back at critics who claimed Ms. Yen’s accent sounded wrong or inconsistent, stating that the accent was not real but a “distorted version of the patient’s existing speech.”
Ms Yen claims she went to the hospital and spoke to her specialist after the accent developed, but was told to “sit” and “let the body heal”.
Now, a year after her surgery, Ms Yen still has an Irish trait, but it’s far less obvious than it was in April 2021.
Now, a year after her surgery, Ms Yen still has an Irish trait, but it’s far less obvious than it was in April 2021
“I still struggle with pronouncing words at times in my professional life as a dentist — sometimes it’s embarrassing, people have trouble understanding what I’m saying, and I get frustrated when I’m asked to repeat myself,” she said to 7News.
“I still sound different and with a heavier accent some days.”
There is no known cure for the disorder and as such doctors cannot give her much to prevent the accent from persisting.
“After I went viral, people from all over the world reached out to me and said how glad they were to finally find another person who has this isolating and rare condition and felt validated,” she said.
Ms Yen has used her TikTok account to raise awareness of FAS, sharing videos about the condition of her voice almost daily.
Ms Yen has used her TikTok account to raise awareness of FAS, sharing videos about the condition of her voice almost daily
What is Foreign Accent Syndrome?
Foreign Accent Syndrome is a rare disorder in which the patient speaks with an accent other than their natural speaking style.
It’s usually the result of a head or brain injury, with strokes being the most common cause.
FAS can also occur after brain trauma, brain hemorrhage, a brain tumor, or multiple sclerosis.
It has only been recorded 100 times since its discovery in 1907.
It causes sufferers to pronounce vowels in different ways, move their tongue and jaw differently when speaking to produce a different sound, and even replace words with others they don’t normally use.
Foreign Accent Syndrome can last for months or years, and sometimes even be permanent.
“I woke up this morning speaking with my Australian accent and I called one of my friends and confirmed my Australian accent was back, but within five to 10 minutes of the call she could see my accent deteriorating back to Irish,” she said on the second day of “Change”.
“I don’t know what to do, it’s something completely different. I’m not even trying, I’m totally freaking out. I thought it would go away when I woke up this morning.’
The next day, Ms Yen said there was “no trace of Aussie twangs left” and that she had become “completely Irish”.
“I still can’t believe I woke up yesterday with an Irish accent. I’ve never been to Ireland. I grew up in Australia. My Australian accent is gone.”
Ms Yen posted another video on her TikTok nine days after first noticing the Irish accent, saying it wasn’t so “fat” anymore, but she was still very upset.
The next day, Ms Yen said there was “no trace of Aussie twangs left” and that she had become “completely Irish”.
“In terms of my coping, I’m definitely still in the third phase of grief and the last two days haven’t been pretty,” she said in the video.
“Yes, I know I need medical help and a doctor’s visit, but it’s a struggle even to find the right person to check me up and tell me what’s going on and get me back to my old self,” he said you.
Professor Kirrie Ballard, a speech therapist, confirmed that the condition is medically real.
She called Foreign Accent Syndrome a “legitimate disorder” triggered by psychological or neurological damage.
dr Karl said the disorder can be corrected with speech training, possibly through drama school or a speech therapist
Doctor Karl Kruszelnicki also confirmed that Foreign Accent Syndrome has been recorded about 100 times in history.
“It’s usually caused by a disorder in the brain. This can be caused by a head injury, stroke, or surgery. It may also be related to diabetes, immune disorders, or other unknown causes,” he said.
“It’s not a true foreign accent, but a corrupted form of the person’s native language and accent.”
dr Karl said the disorder can be corrected with speech training, possibly through drama school or a speech therapist.