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The automatic identification of foreign accents can play a crucial role in various speech systems, including speaker identification, e-learning, telephone banking, and more. Additionally, it can greatly enhance the robustness of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems. Non-native accents in speech signals are characterized by distinct pronunciations, prosody, and voice characteristics of the speaker. However, automatically identifying foreign accents poses significant challenges, particularly in the context of multi-class modeling. Multi-classification models face difficulties in achieving high performance and dealing with computational challenges when confronted with multi-dimensional and unbalanced datasets, such as those with more than two accents. Furthermore, the choice of features remains a bottleneck problem for Foreign Accent Identification (FAID), further hindering performance in these tasks. Consequently, the accuracy of current systems is typically low. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a framework based on the Multi-Kernel Extreme Learning Machine (MKELM) model for the multi-classification of FAID. The MKELM model utilizes a novel weighted scheme to classify various non-native English accents, including Arabic, Chinese, Korean, French, and Spanish. The model first combines Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) and prosodic features as input, trains pairwise binary classifiers independently, and subsequently employs a weighting scheme to distinguish between classes and identify accents. Through experiments, the proposed model achieves an accuracy rate of 84.72% using a paired weighting scheme. In contrast, the accuracy rate drops to 66.5% when employing the traditional non-weighted multi-classification scheme. A comparison with other models demonstrates the significant advantages of the proposed model in FAID multi-class classification, showcasing improved accuracy, reduced computational complexity (requiring fewer computations, faster learning rates, and shorter training time), and enhanced stability compared to state-of-the-art classification methods.

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Research with nonnative speech spans many different linguistic branches and topics. Most studies include one or a few well-known features of a particular accent. However, due to a lack of empirical studies, little is known about how common these features are among nonnative speakers or how uncommon they are among native speakers. Moreover, it remains to be seen whether findings from such studies generalize to lesser-known features. Here, we demonstrate a quantitative approach to study nonnative accent features using Dutch-accented English as an example. By analyzing the phonetic distances between transcriptions of speech samples, this approach can identify the features that best distinguish nonnative from native speech. In addition, we describe a method to test hypotheses about accent features by checking whether the prevalence of the features overall varies between native and nonnative speakers. Furthermore, we include English speakers from the United States and United Kingdom and native Dutch speakers from Belgium and The Netherlands to address the issue of regional accent variability in both the native and target language. We discuss the results concerning three observed features. Overall, the results provide empirical support for some well-known features of Dutch-accented English, but suggest that others may be infrequent among nonnatives or in fact frequent among natives. In addition, the findings reveal potentially new accent features, and factors that may modulate the expression of known features. Our study demonstrates a fruitful approach to study nonnative accent features that has the potential to expand our understanding of the phenomenon of accent.

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Most models of language comprehension assume that the linguistic system is able to pre-activate phonological information. However, the evidence for phonological prediction is mixed and controversial. In this study, we implement a paradigm that capitalizes on the fact that foreign speakers usually make phonological errors. We investigate whether speaker identity (native vs. foreign) is used to make specific phonological predictions. Fifty-two participants were recruited to read sentence frames followed by a last spoken word which was uttered by either a native or a foreign speaker. They were required to perform a lexical decision on the last spoken word, which could be either semantically predictable or not. Speaker identity (native vs. foreign) may or may not be cued by the face of the speaker. We observed that the face cue is effective in speeding up the lexical decision when the word is predictable, but it is not effective when the word is not predictable. This result shows that speech prediction takes into account the phonological variability between speakers, suggesting that it is possible to pre-activate in a detailed and specific way the phonological representation of a predictable word.

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Listeners use more than just acoustic information when processing speech. Social information, such as a speaker's perceived race or ethnicity, can also affect the processing of the speech signal, in some cases facilitating perception ("social priming"). We aimed to replicate and extend this line of inquiry, examining effects of multiple social primes (i.e., a Middle Eastern, White, or East Asian face, or a control silhouette image) on the perception of Mandarin Chinese-accented English and Arabic-accented English. By including uncommon priming combinations (e.g., a Middle Eastern prime for a Mandarin accent), we aimed to test the specificity of social primes: For example, can a Middle Eastern face facilitate perception of both Arabic-accented English and Mandarin-accented English? Contrary to our predictions, our results indicated no facilitative social priming effects for either of the second language (L2) accents. Results for our examination of specificity were mixed. Trends in the data indicated that the combination of an East Asian prime with Arabic accent resulted in lower accuracy as compared with a White prime, but the combination of a Middle Eastern prime with a Mandarin accent did not (and may have actually benefited listeners to some degree). We conclude that the specificity of priming effects may depend on listeners' level of familiarity with a given accent and/or racial/ethnic group and that the mixed outcomes in the current work motivate further inquiries to determine whether social priming effects for L2-accented speech may be smaller than previously hypothesized and/or highly dependent on listener experience.

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Sociolinguistic factors such as status and prestige can significantly impact the persistence of an accent in a patient with Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). FAS is a rare acquired syndrome that affects a speaker's accent typically caused by a stroke or trauma. In this presented FAS case study, we explore two distinct perspectives on a shift from a Sicilian to a North-East variety of Italian accent, caused by an accident trauma. Data have been collected with an ethnographic approach to explore the patient's narrative towards his 'foreign accent'. Firstly, the study analyzes the perception of native listeners through a speech sample perception test of different varieties of Italian. The listeners' responses revealed a diversified classification of the accent, highlighting the listener's crucial role in assigning the status of 'foreignness' to a particular variety. Additionally, an analysis with Praat software showed that the FAS speaker used a variety with some Sicilian and North-East traits. Secondly, the study investigated the patient's perception of their new accent through an ethnographic approach and participant observer technique. The results revealed a typology of FAS speakers that correlated with sociolinguistic factors not previously identified by research. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the complex interplay between sociolinguistic factors and FAS, demonstrating the importance of exploring FAS under various perspectives of research.

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Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is characterized by new onset speech that is perceived as foreign. Available data from acquired cases suggests focal brain damage in language and sensorimotor brain networks, but little remains known about abnormal functional connectivity in idiopathic cases of FAS without structural damage. Here, connectomic analyses were completed on three patients with idiopathic FAS to investigate unique functional connectivity abnormalities underlying accent change for the first time. Machine learning (ML)-based algorithms generated personalized brain connectomes based on a validated parcellation scheme from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). Diffusion tractography was performed on each patient to rule out structural fiber damage to the language system. Resting-state-fMRI was assessed with ML-based software to examine functional connectivity between individual parcellations within language and sensorimotor networks and subcortical structures. Functional connectivity matrices were created and compared against a dataset of 200 healthy subjects to identify abnormally connected parcellations. Three female patients (28-42 years) who presented with accent changes from Australian English to Irish (n = 2) or American English to British English (n = 1) demonstrated fully intact language system structural connectivity. All patients demonstrated functional connectivity anomalies within language and sensorimotor networks in numerous left frontal regions and between subcortical structures in one patient. Few commonalities in functional connectivity anomalies were identified between all three patients, specifically 3 internal-network parcellation pairs. No common inter-network functional connectivity anomalies were identified between all patients. The current study demonstrates specific language, and sensorimotor functional connectivity abnormalities can exist and be quantitatively shown in the absence of structural damage for future study.

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OBJECTIVE: We describe a previously fit and well 54-year-old female who acquired a range of severe and persisting neuropsychological impairments following a posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) complication of COVID-19. The initial presentation included aphasia, a neurogenic foreign accent syndrome (FAS) and a persisting complete cortical blindness from the underpinning parieto-occipital brain injury. METHOD: Neuropsychological single clinical case report. RESULTS: The patient retained insight and made good early progress with their adjustment to the numerous losses caused by the COVID-19 associated acquired brain injury. Comprehensive neuropsychological investigation characterised an acalculia, along with deficits in focused, sustained and divided attention impacting on verbal memory, working memory and executive functioning, amongst numerous relative strengths. CONCLUSION: Similar to PRES from other aetiologies, COVID-19 associated PRES can in some cases cause irreversible acquired brain injury. The diverse neuropsychological effects need to be comprehensively investigated and managed. This case adds to the neuropsychological literature on PRES, FAS and acquired brain injury as a rare complication of SARS-CoV-2.

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Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is a rare clinical entity in which affected patients experience a new pattern of speech resembling an unusual accent. Reported cases are scarce in published literature and are usually the result of a neurological insult. FAS as a complication from a general anesthetic or surgery has not been reported to date. We present the case of a healthy 27-year-old Australian woman who developed FAS following a tonsillectomy. Post operatively, speech patterns resembled an Irish accent. We discuss the potential mechanisms of the unusual complication as well as review the available literature surrounding FAS.

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OBJECTIVE: This case study aims to present the Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) in a patient with Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation (cAVM), considering neuropsychological, radiological and microsurgical aspects. METHODS: The patient underwent preoperative neuropsychological assessment and MRI and Tractography were performed to identify fibers close to the lesion site. In the surgical procedure, a craniotomy was performed for excision of the cAVM. After surgery and 6 months after the surgical procedure, the patient underwent further and neuropsychological evaluations. RESULTS: The presence of AVM located in the posterior part of the medial surface of the left superior frontal gyrus was identified and the neuropsychological evaluation found cognitive deficits and symptoms characteristic of FAS, which disappeared after resection. CONCLUSION: This report presented a case of cAVM in which symptoms were found even without rupture, which was no longer observed after the surgical procedure, demonstrating the relationship of cAVM with the symptoms and neuroanatomical bases of FAS.

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This article describes a case of Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) in an Italian woman who developed a Canadian-like foreign accent without brain damage (functional FAS). The patient underwent an in-depth neuroimaging and (neuro)psychological evaluation. Language networks in the frontotemporal-parietal areas were typically activated bilaterally through fMRI and MEG assessments based on task-based data. Resting-state fMRI showed preserved connectivity between language areas. An obsessive-compulsive personality profile and mild anxiety were found, suggesting psychological and psychiatric factors may be relevant. Accordingly with our findings, multimodal imaging is beneficial to understand FAS neurological and functional etiologies.

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Misunderstood ironic intents may injure the conversation and impede connecting with others. Prior research suggests that ironic compliments, a rarer type of irony, are considered less ironic when spoken with a foreign accent. Using more ecologically-valid stimuli with natural prosodic cues, we found that this effect also applied to ironic criticisms, not just to ironic compliments. English native speakers (N = 96) listened to dialogs between Canadian English speakers and their foreign-accented peers, rating targets on multiple scales (irony, certainty in the speaker's intent, appropriateness, and offensiveness). Generalized additive mixed modelling showed that 1) ironic comments were rated lower for irony when foreign-accented, whereas literal comments were unaffected by accent; 2) the listener's political orientation, but not empathy or need for cognitive closure, modulated irony detection accuracy. The results are discussed in terms of linguistic expectations, social distance, cultural stereotypes, and personality differences.

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Recent studies have shown that people make more utilitarian decisions when dealing with a moral dilemma in a foreign language than in their native language. Emotion, cognitive load, and psychological distance have been put forward as explanations for this foreign language effect. The question that arises is whether a similar effect would be observed when processing a dilemma in one's own language but spoken by a foreign-accented speaker. Indeed, foreign-accented speech has been shown to modulate emotion processing, to disrupt processing fluency and to increase psychological distance due to social categorisation. We tested this hypothesis by presenting 435 participants with two moral dilemmas, the trolley dilemma and the footbridge dilemma online, either in a native accent or a foreign accent. In Experiment 1, 184 native Spanish speakers listened to the dilemmas in Spanish recorded by a native speaker, a British English or a Cameroonian native speaker. In Experiment 2, 251 Dutch native speakers listened to the dilemmas in Dutch in their native accent, in a British English, a Turkish, or in a French accent. Results showed an increase in utilitarian decisions for the Cameroonian- and French-accented speech compared to the Spanish or Dutch native accent, respectively. When collapsing all the speakers from the two experiments, a similar increase in the foreign accent condition compared with the native accent condition was observed. This study is the first demonstration of a foreign accent effect on moral judgements, and despite the variability in the effect across accents, the findings suggest that a foreign accent, like a foreign language, is a linguistic context that modulates (neuro)cognitive mechanisms, and consequently, impacts our behaviour. More research is needed to follow up on this exploratory study and to understand the influence of factors such as emotion reduction, cognitive load, psychological distance, and speaker's idiosyncratic features on moral judgments.

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The aim of this study was to explore if and to what extent Austrian-English late sequential bilinguals who have been living in a second language (L2) environment for several decades are perceived to sound native in their first language (L1) when being compared to monolingual Austrian German (AG) control speakers. Furthermore, this investigation aimed to identify if listeners differ in their judgments of nativeness of L1 pronunciation depending on their own language background. For this purpose, two groups of native Austrian German listeners (N = 30 each), who differed regarding their linguistic background (Austrian German monolingual and Austrian German-English bilingual listeners) were asked to rate spontaneous speech samples produced by Austrian English bilingual and Austrian German monolingual speakers. Results showed that the bilingual L1 speech was perceived to sound overall less native compared to monolingual control speech. It was further observed that the two listener groups significantly differed in their perception of nativeness: Bilingual listeners were overall less likely to judge bilingual L1 pronunciation to sound non-native compared to monolingual listeners. To date, this is the first study to show that listener experience influences their perception of nativeness of L1 pronunciation and, thus, adds a new dimension to the notion of the native speaker.

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BACKGROUND: Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a rare acquired speech disorder wherein an individual's spoken accent is perceived as "foreign." Most reported cases involve left frontal brain lesions, but it is known that various other lesions can also cause FAS. To determine whether heterogeneous FAS-causing lesions are localized to a common functional speech network rather than to a single anatomical site, we employed a recently validated image analysis technique known as "lesion network mapping." METHODS: We identified 25 published cases of acquired neurogenic FAS without aphasia, and mapped each lesion volume onto a reference brain. We next identified the network of brain regions functionally connected to each FAS lesion using a connectome dataset from normative participants. Network maps were then overlapped to identify common network sites across the lesions. RESULTS: Classical lesion overlap analysis showed heterogeneity in lesion anatomical location, consistent with prior reports. However, at least 80% of lesions showed network overlap in the bilateral lower and middle portions of the precentral gyrus and in the medial frontal cortex. The left lower portion of the precentral gyrus is suggested to be the location of lesions causing apraxia of speech (AOS), and the middle portion is considered to be a larynx-specific motor area associated with the production of vowels and stop/nasal consonants and with the determination of pitch accent. CONCLUSIONS: The lesions that cause FAS are anatomically heterogeneous, but they share a common functional network located in the bilateral posterior region of the frontal lobe. This network specifically includes not only the lower portion of the central gyrus, but also its middle region, which is referred to as the larynx motor cortex and is known to be associated with phonation. Our findings suggest that disrupted networks in FAS might be anatomically different from those in AOS.

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This study investigated the impact of the speaker's identity generated by the voice on sentence processing. We examined the relation between ERP components associated with the processing of the voice (N100 and P200) from voice onset and those associated with sentence processing (N400 and late positivity) from critical word onset. We presented Dutch native speakers with sentences containing true (and known) information, unknown (but true) information or information violating world knowledge and had them perform a truth evaluation task. Sentences were spoken either in a native or a foreign accent. Truth evaluation judgments were not different for statements spoken by the native-accented and the foreign-accented speakers. Reduced N100 and P200 were observed in response to the foreign speaker's voice compared to the native speaker's. While statements containing unknown information or world knowledge violations generated a larger N400 than true statements in the native condition, they were not significantly different in the foreign condition, suggesting shallower processing of foreign-accented speech. The N100 was a significant predictor for the N400 in that the reduced N100 observed for the foreign speaker compared to the native speaker was related to a smaller N400 effect. These finding suggest that the impression of the speaker that listeners rapidly form from the voice affects semantic processing, which confirms that speaker's identity and language comprehension cannot be dissociated.

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Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a rare, poorly understood speech disorder. It is characterized by the patient speaking their native language in a different accent foreign to both the speaker and the listener. A majority of previously reported cases have been described in patients with diagnosed organic brain damage and a handful of other psychiatric disorders. FAS was not the result of language experience in our index patient, and there is no history of the patient ever visiting the United States of America. This case is presented because it is the first-ever seen case in the environment.

Résumé Le syndrome de l'accent étranger (SAF) est un trouble de la parole rare et mal compris. Elle se caractérise par le fait que le patient parle sa langue maternelle dans un accent différent étranger à la fois au locuteur et à l'auditeur. La majorité des cas précédemment rapportés ont été décrits chez des patients diagnostiqué des lésions cérébrales organiques et une poignée d'autres troubles psychiatriques. Le SAF n'était pas le résultat d'une expérience linguistique dans notre index patient, et il n'y a pas d'antécédents de visite du patient aux États-Unis d'Amérique. Ce cas est présenté parce que c'est le premier jamais vu cas dans l'environnement.

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This is a case report on a 57-year-old lady who presented to the Psychiatry Department of Tallaght Hospital after being referred by Neurology Department. She was initially attending Neurology Department for idiopathic Parkinson's disease which was later refuted as there was no objective evidence of response to treatment. She attended the A&E department with altered consciousness and headache, but her computed tomography of the brain was normal, and was diagnosed with migraine. But it was noted that she was reporting paranoia and auditory hallucinations, and her family had noticed marked change in her accent. On assessment in psychiatric outpatient she was noted to have psychotic symptoms. She reported these symptoms to be ongoing for the last 4 years, but have worsened to an extent that she was extremely distressed by them. She had acquired a Scottish accent. The change in accent coincided with worsening of her psychotic symptoms. Based on her assessment she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was commenced on olanzapine. Not only her psychotic symptoms resolved but also her accent reverted to native form.

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Patients affected by acquired neurogenic foreign accent syndrome (ANFAS) start speaking with a new accent that resembles that of a foreign language. ANFAS has been reported following left-hemisphere damage, but it is extremely rare after right-hemisphere damage. We described KKE, a right-hemisphere-damaged patient. His cognitive functions were largely intact and he was not aphasic. Nonetheless, KKE showed a marked foreing accent which was mainly judged as Slavic. Positron emission tomography revealed left cerebellar diaschisis, even if the cerebellum did not appear lesioned, on MRI scans. Remarkably, KKE still showed ANFAS three years after lesion onset. We propose that this very rare variant of ANFAS, after right-hemisphere lesion, can be due to the damage of a complex cerebral network involving supra- and infra-tentorial structures.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has the potential for targeting the central nervous system, and several neurological symptoms have been reported in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We describe a 48-year-old Caucasian woman with SARS-CoV-2 infection followed by the onset of word finding difficulties, effortful speech along with prosody distortion, in the context of spared semantic and syntactic abilities. The clinical picture, perceived as foreign accent syndrome (FAS), was not associated with structural and functional imaging changes or neurophysiological assessment abnormalities. We suggest that FAS, herein perceived as a regional accent syndrome, should be considered a possible additional neurological manifestation of SARS-CoV-2.

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