F2F Class Notes (Nemo) [R]

rare (adj ): 1- not common; very unusual:
E.g.: a rare disease/species
E.g.: The museum is full of rare and precious treasures.

syndrome (n): 1- a combination of medical problems that shows the existence of a particular disease or mental condition

perplex (v): 1-to confuse and worry someone slightly by being difficult to understand or solve:
E.g.: The disease has continued to perplex doctors.

come to terms with sth-to gradually accept a sad situation, often the death of someone you love:
E.g.: I think he’s still coming to terms with the death of his wife.

neurologist (n): 1-a doctor who studies and treats diseases of the nerves

condition (n): 1- the particular state that something or someone is in:
E.g.: Mum’s still got our pram – it’s very old, but it’s in perfect condition.
E.g.: They left the flat in a terrible condition – there was mess everywhere.
E.g.: The hospital say her condition (= state of health) is improving slowly.

rhythm (n): 1- a strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes that is used in music, poetry, and dancing:
E.g.: He beat out a jazz rhythm on the drums.
E.g.: I’ve got no sense of rhythm, so I’m a terrible dancer.

stress (n) [pronunciation]: 1- the way that a word or syllable is pronounced with greater force than other words in the same sentence or other syllables in the same word:
E.g.: The meaning of a sentence often depends on stress and intonation.
E.g.: When “insert” is a verb, the stress is on the second syllable, but when it is a noun, the stress is on the first syllable.

intonation (n): 1- the sound changes produced by the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, especially when this has an effect on the meaning of what is said:
E.g.: The end of a sentence that is not a question is usually marked by falling intonation.

stroke (n) [illness]: 1- a sudden change in the blood supply to a part of the brain, sometimes causing a loss of the ability to move particular parts of the body:
E.g.: She suffered/had a stroke that left her unable to speak.

Pronunciation

condition-/kənˈdɪʃ.ən/

Reading

An American woman has the rare Foreign Accent Syndrome. The woman, Michelle Myers, 45, said that she went to bed with a “blinding headache” and woke up with a British accent. She has had the accent since 2015. Ms Myers has woken up speaking accents before. She was totally perplexed at speaking with an Australian or Irish accent. These lasted two weeks but the UK accent has remained. Myers said her condition was “really difficult to begin with”. She said: “It was hard because I was really struggling. I have come to terms with the fact that I might sound like this forever.”
Foreign Accent Syndrome usually occurs after strokes or brain injuries that damage the brain’s language center. It varies in how much it affects someone’s accent. In some cases, someone’s language sounds like it has a hint of a foreign accent; in other cases, rhythm and stress can totally change. The condition was first documented in 1907 by a French neurologist. It is a relatively rare condition, with just 60 cases being documented over the past century. One of these was a Japanese stroke patient who woke up sounding Korean, even though he had never been to Korea.