The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the Phenomenon of the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) and to work out the similarities and differences between the syndrome and a real foreign accent. For this, various case studies will be introduced and their results will be drawn together in order to list up the main facts and characteristics of the foreign accent syndrome. Following, a reflection about the probable causes of the syndrome will be done. There has not been a lot of research about the foreign accent syndrome and only little is known about the real pathologic cause of FAS. The FAS is to separate from other disorders such as apraxia (and aphasia), despite the fact that they share a lot of common features and the FAS is considered to be a subtype of the AoS. Although there is no detailed knowledge about the cause of foreign accent syndrome, the theories about its pathologic reasons will be discussed as well. Although there are several known kinds of the foreign accent syndrome, this paper will focus on the ones following a stroke or other lesions affecting the human brain.
On the following pages the characteristics of a real foreign accent will be compared to the ones of the foreign accent syndrome with the aim to find out which factors lead to the perception of the individuals´ speech as foreign and to reveal the actual differences. In final the results will be discussed.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Foreign Accent Syndrome
- Characteristics of a Foreign Accent
- Three Cases and Revealed Characteristics of FAS
- Blumstein et al. 1987
- Kurowski et al. 1996
- Dankovicová et al. 2001
- Discussion
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to introduce the reader to the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) and to explore the similarities and differences between the syndrome and a real foreign accent. To achieve this, various case studies will be introduced, and their results will be analyzed to identify key facts and characteristics of the foreign accent syndrome. The paper will also discuss potential causes of the syndrome, focusing on cases following a stroke or other brain lesions.
- The Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) and its characteristics
- Comparison of FAS with real foreign accents
- Potential causes of FAS, particularly following brain lesions
- The distinction between FAS and other speech impairments like aphasia
- The role of brain regions like Broca's area, Wernicke's area, and the perisylvian areas in speech production and potential effects of lesions in these areas.
Chapter Summaries
The first chapter introduces the concept of Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) and outlines the paper's objective to compare FAS with real foreign accents. It highlights the limited research available on FAS and discusses its distinction from other speech disorders like apraxia and aphasia.
The second chapter delves into the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) itself, defining it as a rare speech disorder affecting motor speech production, leading to speech sounding foreign to native speakers. The chapter discusses the usual occurrence of FAS following a stroke and the rare cases following trauma. It also mentions other potential causes (e.g., psychogenic) but focuses primarily on stroke-related cases. The chapter emphasizes the frequent damage to the left hemisphere and specific areas of the brain, including the perisylvian speech regions, prerolandic motor cortex, frontal motor association cortex, and striatum. It explains the functions of these brain regions in speech production and highlights the potential impact of lesions on these areas.
The third chapter focuses on the characteristics of a foreign accent, emphasizing its definition and how it contributes to the misperception of speech as foreign in the case of FAS. The chapter examines the features of foreign accents in English, particularly in terms of pronunciation and prosody, exploring how L1 influences the acquisition of L2, leading to deviations in vowel and consonant production. The role of prosody, including intonation, in distinguishing between foreign accents is also discussed.
Keywords
The main keywords and focus topics of this paper are Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS), motor speech disorder, brain lesions, stroke, aphasia, apraxia, real foreign accent, characteristics of a foreign accent, pronunciation, prosody, intonation, and the role of various brain regions, including Broca's area, Wernicke's area, and the perisylvian areas.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Darwish (Author), 2017, The Phenomenon of the Foreign Accent Syndrome, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/429054
