Australian Woman Who Has Never Been to Ireland Wakes Up From Tonsil Surgery With an Irish Accent

@angie.mcyen

Day 1: I woke up with an Irish accent ? ##sendhelp

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When Angie Mcyen underwent a tonsillectomy in April 2021, she woke up with an unmistakably Irish accent. McYen, who is a dentist from Brisbane, Australia, had never been to Ireland nor had she ever spoken this way before the surgery. Since the surgery, McYen has been posting her experience with a new accent on TikTok.

Documenting my journey after waking up with an Irish accent on 28/04/21

McYen’s experience is known as “Foreign Accent Syndrome”, which can occur after surgery. According to medical experts, the condition is fairly rare, but can sometimes be treated with therapy.

Treatment involves intense speech therapy. Methods such as oromotor exercises, using mirrors, targeting phonetic awareness, reading lists and texts, and using electropalatography are all methods that have been used in the past. Treatment should be developed on a patient by patient basis. About a quarter of FAS patients go through remission after treatment.

@angie.mcyen

Day 4: I woke up with an Irish accent 4 days ago. I grew up in Australia, never been to Ireland. ##foryou ##fyp ##foreignaccentsyndrome

? original sound – angie.mcyen

@angie.mcyen

Day 12: Reading the news the morning after a night out. How has alcohol affected my accent? ##foreignaccentsyndrome ##fyp

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@angie.mcyen

Day 54: My 60 mins episode just aired nationwide across Australia. I have answers, but also have more questions about ##foreignaccentsyndrome ##foryou

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@angie.mcyen

Day 61: Part 3. What happened in the first few weeks after I acquired ##foreignaccentsyndrome ##fyp

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