A Foreign Foreign Accent|外国口音综合症：声音也会被掉包

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

Is it true that people sometimes have no control over their own voices?

It is the combination of many things that make each one of us who we are, including the way we walk and the way we hold chopsticks or tableware. _(1)_ When we make a phone call, our friends and family can usually recognize our voices on the line right away. Our voices are ours alone and unlike anyone else's in the world. That being said, what if our voices change? This does not refer to the change everyone, especially young men, go through during puberty. _(2)_

Trauma to the left side of the brain, where the speech center is, can cause a person to pronounce sounds and words differently. _(3)_ Or they may pronounce Ws as Vs, which is common in German and Swedish. It does not affect everyone in the same way, though. _(4)_

There are other effects as well. Life can be quite traumatic for people with FAS because they feel out of place and are treated differently by others. _(5)_ Even so, those dealing with FAS happily agree that while it has its drawbacks, a foreign accent is a much better outcome than the other possible results of brain injuries.

(A) Instead, it refers to a rare disorder caused by a brain injury—foreign accent syndrome (FAS).

(B) Some sufferers only experience FAS for a short time, while others have to deal with the condition permanently.

(C) For example, someone may start to roll their Rs, which is a trademark sound for Russian and Spanish accents.

(D) Having to explain the condition to strangers who curiously ask where the sufferer is from and being judged as faking the accent can be a real nuisance.

(E) In addition, along with our physical appearance, one of the first traits people notice is the sound of our voices.

外国口音综合症：声音也会被掉包

人们是否有时也无法掌控自己的声音？

　　众多事物的结合造就每个人的特色，其中包括走路和拿筷子或餐具的方式。此外，除了外貌，人们注意他人的第 1 个特征之一便是声音。打电话时，朋友和家人通常在电话中能马上认出我们的声音。每个人的声音仅为个人拥有，与世界上其他任何人的都不同。话虽如此，倘若声音改变了怎么办？这指的不是每个人，尤其不是年轻男性在青春期经历的变声，而是指『外国口音综合症』（FAS），一种因为脑部受伤造成的罕见语言失调。

　　掌管语言的左脑若受到损伤，会导致一个人用不同的方式发声和发单字的音。例如，有人可能会开始将 R 音发成颤音，而这是俄国腔或西班牙腔的特殊发音。或者有人会把 W 音发成 V 音，而这在德文和瑞典文中则很普遍。不过，FAS 影响每个人的方式不尽相同。有些患者只会短暂经历这种症状，但有些人则必须永久和它共处。

　　这当中也有其他的影响。对 FAS 患者来说，生活可能相当痛苦，因为他们觉得格格不入，还要受到他人的差别对待。患者要对好奇询问他们来自何处的陌生人解释自己的症状，又要被认定假装别种口音，这些对他们而言都是很讨厌的一件事。即使如此，FAS患者高兴地同意，虽然外国口音有其缺点，但比起脑部伤害造成的其他可能症状，它已算不幸中的大幸。

答案：  1. (E)2. (A)3. (C)4. (B)5. (D)

56 岁的巴特勒（Karen Butler）是地道的美国俄勒冈州人，2009 年，她植牙打麻醉药，醒来开口讲话竟变英国腔。医师诊断这是非常罕见的外国口音综合症，发生原因是脑部主管语言发音与腔调的某个极小部位受到影响。

目前外国口音综合症全球仅有 61 个病例，这种症状通常会在数周或数月之后消失；如果随着时间过去，新腔调一直没有消除，留存的机率也将提高。（数据源：中央社）

如欲进一步了解外国口音综合症，可至以下影音连结：

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn0gXME8GeE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-y-x88hU9Y