There's no other way to describe this than just plain weird. A woman from the United Kingdom goes to the hospital with a terrible headache. She comes out speaking with a Chinese accent. Whaaaaaat. According to BBC News: Plymouth woman 'woke up sounding Chinese.'
Three and a half years ago, 38-year-old Sarah Colwill was rushed to the hospital suffering from a severe migraine. When she woke up, she spoke with what can best be described as a "Chinese" accent. Colwill grew up in the English city of Plymouth, and has never been to China. I'm going to assume she hasn't spent a lot of time with Chinese non-native English speakers with a similar accent. But this apparently how she speaks now.
Colwill has been diagnosed with a rare speech impediment called Foreign Accent Syndrome:
Is this for real? I know that "Foreign Accent Syndrome" is a legit, documented neurological condition. But listening to her actually speak, it sounds unreal, like someone's bad impression of a Chinese person. Even more baffling, the condition apparently affects her ability to write English too.
More here: Sarah Colwill Speaks Out About Foreign Accent Syndrome In BBC Documentary 'The Woman Who Woke Up Chinese'
