An Oregon woman, Karen Butler, has developed a rare neurological disorder called "foreign accent syndrome” (FAS) after undergoing dental surgery. After the completion of the surgery, Butler started speaking in a mixture of accents, including a bit of English, a touch of Irish and a bit of other European modulations.

The researchers have concluded that foreign accent syndrome is a disruption of normal speech control processes. The syndrome alters the physical production of speech by affecting the movements of the tongue, lips and mouth. The changes make the pronunciation of vowels and consonants sound foreign. Researchers have also claimed that foreign accent syndrome might be reversible with intensive speech therapy in some cases.

Neurologist Ted Lowenkopf, Director of the Providence Stroke Center in Portland, Ore., said, “Butler likely suffered a small stroke while under anesthesia, and this trauma affected the part of her brain that controls speech patterns and intonation”.

Butler is not worried about her new accent and she likes her. She said that the new accent has made more outgoing and confident.