56-year-old Karen Butler underwent a dental procedure, and when she woke up from anesthesia, she awoke with an entirely new accent. From the video, her accent seems to be a mix of northern British, South African, Irish and Scottish. The whole story may sound like a hoax, but there is precedent for this kind of thing happening. It is appropriately called foreign accent syndrome, a rare medical condition that actually exists, and is the result of brain injury, such as head trauma or a stroke. Butler didn’t experience severe head trauma or a stroke to anyone’s knowledge, so at the moment, people are baffled as to how she developed the strange accent, assuming her condition is legit and not feigned.
The most well-known case of foreign accent syndrome has been documented — a 28-year-old woman is Oslo was hit by a bomb fragment during World War II and woke up speaking a German accent — so professionals are aware of the symptoms.
(story via Los Angeles Times, video via Oregon Live)
