Waking Up with a Welsh Accent

 In 2022 I developed functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition that disrupts how the brain communicates with the body. It caused mobility issues and seizures, but I would also sometimes develop a temporary vocal tic or slurred speech. So it didn't come as a huge surprise when, one day in June 2023, I woke up and my voice sounded different. I assumed it would pass, but two days later I still sounded strange. My neighbour said to me: You sound just like my aunt. She's from south Wales."...

The Mumbles Lighthouse
Taliesin Williams (1814-1890)
Photo Credit: The National Library of Wales [Public Domain]

My friends and family found it hilarious. I've never visited Wales... After two weeks, I went to the doctor, but it took months before I was finally diagnosed with foreign accent syndrome - a speech disorder that causes a sudden change to a person's accent, usually after a traumatic brain injury or a stroke. But they couldn't find a trigger for my sudden change.

Although I tried to find the funny side, it upset me at first, and caused many difficulties. My own family didn't recognise me when I phoned. I was worried my children's school wouldn't believe they were really speaking to me if they had to call me in an emergency, so I went in and explained in person. My bank has voice recognition as a security feature, and trying to explain my accent was a challenge...

Because my accent is so strong, people always ask me about it. I'll go to a restaurant or a shop and someone will ask: " Where in Wales are you from?" They often don't believe me when I say I've never even visited... Often, people laugh in my face when I tell them I just woke up with this accent, but when they realise I'm being serious, they don't know what to say. It's awkward.

I started posting about my condition to raise awareness. I've discovered a community of people affected by FND and set up a WhatsApp group. There's a lady from Kent with an eastern European accent who has been instrumental in keeping my spirits up...

Arenig, North Wales
James Dickson Innes (1887-1914)
Photo Credit: Tate [CC BY-NC-ND] 

The gentle, lilting accent has has helped me be calmer when I'm stressed. I used to be quite shy, but now people are so interested in my accent I find myself speaking quite happily about it...

I've since spoken with a professor of neurology, who believes my brain has probably triggered the accent as a way of dealing with my FND. The specific way it controls the muscles in my face makes my accent manifest as Welsh - it's all to do with how your tongue and mouth move...

I would like to visit Wales one day. Now I'm used to it, I really like my Welsh accent... People have suggested I should learn the Welsh language - who knows, maybe it will come naturally to me.

(Zoe Connor, The Observer, 2024)

A remarkable English lady telling her very strange story.