American leaves dentist with British accent

US woman develops European accent after surgery 

An American woman has developed a European accent after undergoing dental surgery. 

Karen Butler has never been to Europe but 18 months after the procedure her "foreign" accent remains.

The 56-year-old tax consultant from Toledo, Oregon, has found her life transformed by the dental procedure, which left her with dentures, and - depending on whom you ask - an Eastern European, Swedish or British accent.

Mrs Butler had all her top teeth and front bottom teeth removed in November 2009 because of gingivitis. A week later the swelling had gone away, but she still sounded strange. Her dentist told her she just had to get used to her new teeth.

But as weeks stretched on with no change, Mrs Butler did some online research. She diagnosed herself with Foreign Accent Syndrome, a medical condition with only a few dozen documented cases.

The syndrome is often the result of brain injury; though it is uncommon, most neurologists will see at least one case in their career, said Dr. Helmi Lutsep, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University. Sometimes a person just sounds slightly off; other times there may be a more dramatic-sounding accent, Dr Lutsep said.

"We don't know exactly how or why it happens, but it simply affects rhythm of language," he said. "I'm absolutely convinced this is a real phenomenon. These people are not making it up."

Mrs Butler believes she hasn't had a stroke or any brain trauma. She said she has tried, but hasn't been able to get a brain scan because she said her medical insurance will not cover it.

"There's nothing wrong with having an accent," she said.

She can't hear her own accent when she speaks, but Mrs Butler said she can feel herself forming words differently. She said the accent has softened over time and was initially strongly "Transylvanian" sounding.

Source: Telegraph