foreign accent syndrome

noun

An extremely rare disorder, which may be temporary or permanent, in which a person who has suffered a stroke or other brain trauma recovers but subsequently speaks with a seemingly foreign accent.

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Meanings

nounforeign accent syndrome (countable and uncountable, plural foreign accent syndromes)

plural foreign accent syndromes

  1. countableuncountablehuman sciencesAn extremely rare disorder, which may be temporary or permanent, in which a person who has suffered a stroke or other brain trauma recovers but subsequently speaks with a seemingly foreign accent.

    A Baltimore man suddenly began speaking with a Scandinavian accent after suffering a stroke. . . . The man had "foreign accent syndrome," a rare condition in which a brain malfunction produces speech alterations that sound like a foreign accent.

    1991, Gerard L. Ervin, “MLJ News & Notes of the Profession”, in The Modern Language Journal, volume 75, number 2, page 225

Translations

Finnish vieraan murteen syndrooma
  • vieraan murteen syndroomarare disorder
French syndrome de l’accent étranger
  • syndrome de l’accent étrangerrare disorder
Polish zespół obcego akcentu
  • zespół obcego akcenturare disorder
Cite this entry
APA

foreign accent syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20accent%20syndrome

MLA

“foreign accent syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20accent%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foreign accent syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20accent%20syndrome.

Source: foreign accent syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.