The Reason Some Accents Are Hard to Understand When we hear someone speak, we already have an idea of how the language is supposed to sound. When it doesn't quite fit, we have to work a little harder sort it out. And that requires mental energy. This process slows us down, which means our comprehension is diminished.
Part of the reason is that listeners focus less on what is actually being said: our brain makes predictions about the message based on the accent instead of actually listening, so we don't really hear the message, let alone process and comprehend it.
Imagine you wake up and how you pronounce words suddenly sounds completely different, almost foreign, from the last time you spoke. For example, your American English accent sounds British. This might seem bizarre, but it's a rare motor speech disorder aptly called foreign accent syndrome (FAS).
ADHD affects executive functioning, attention, and impulse control . This may make it more difficult for people to process sensory input, including sounds. It may be difficult or impossible for a person with ADHD to interpret sounds or distinguish one sound from another, particularly in distracting environments.
Symptoms of auditory processing disorder (APD) APD often starts in childhood but some people develop it later. If you or your child have APD, you may find it difficult to understand: people speaking in noisy places. people with strong accents or fast talkers.
Imitating accents is very common, particularly accents the child with autism will hear on television. They will often imitate these extremely accurately, and this will be noted as being different from neuro-typical children.
Dysprosody also known as pseudo-foreign dialect, is the rarest neurological speech disorder. It is characterized by alterations in intensity, in the timing of utterance segments, and in rhythm, cadency, and intonation of words.
Some people with ADHD use echolalia as a stimming behavior to self-stimulate or self-soothe. Treatment for echolalia involves helping the person to expand on their language skills to communicate in more diverse and direct ways, and is typically administered by a speech therapist.
ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they have some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other. Experts have changed the way they think about how autism and ADHD are related.
Speakers of some accents tend to be perceived as less competent and of lower socio-intellectual status than others (Rakić et al. 2011). Specifically, listeners tend to associate more negative traits with speakers who use accents that are not standard in the context in which they are speaking (De Souza et al. 2016).
It is also believed that the actor has developed Foreign Accent Syndrome. According to Marca, it is a, “speech disorder that causes a sudden change to speech so that a native speaker is perceived to speak with a foreign accent.” This rare condition develops after traumatic head injuries.
A common psychological phenomenon known as “mirroring” or “the chameleon effect” leads people to unconsciously emulate those with whom they're speaking. Though it can be embarrassing, this tendency is not inherently a bad thing.
There are a few things you can do to understand an accent more easily. First, listen to recordings of people speaking the language you are trying to learn with and without their accents. This will help you get an idea of what the accent sounds like and how it varies. Second, try to imitate the accent as best you can.
“There are individual differences in terms of how strong an accent is, but overall, age and length of exposure to the second language very much contribute to the accent.” There's also some evidence to suggest that if you can carry a tune you're much more likely to be able to pick up accents.
ADHD masking may also be called "camouflaging." This is when someone with ADHD tries to cover up their symptoms by copying the behaviors of people who don't have it. ADHD masking may be a way for some people with ADHD to fit in socially, avoid being stigmatized, or feel more accepted.
If you hide your adult ADHD symptoms from other people, that's called masking. Basically, you're trying to seem more “normal” or “regular.” ADHD causes some people to act hyperactive or impulsive. It makes other folks have trouble paying attention. And still other adults have a combination of those symptoms.
Linguists call this phenomenon “linguistic convergence,” and it's something you've likely done at some point, even if the shifts were so subtle you didn't notice.
Interestingly, girls with untreated ADHD may be more likely to blame and judge themselves for these problems, leading to a higher risk for low self-esteem than boys who have ADHD. They may also be more likely to have problems with substance abuse, eating disorders, and anxiety.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
A girl with ADHD may have impulsivity and be hyper-talkative. She may be verbally impulsive, interrupt others, talk excessively, or change topics repeatedly during conversations. She might even blurt out words without thinking about their impact on others. Girls with ADHD can also be overly sensitive.
People with apraxia know what words they want to say, but their brains have difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words and they may say something completely different, even nonsensical. For example, a person may try to say “kitchen”, but it may come out “bickem”.
What is Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS)? Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is speech disorder that causes a sudden change to speech so that a native speaker is perceived to speak with a “foreign” accent. FAS is most often caused by damage to the brain caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
The primary symptom of foreign accent syndrome is speaking in an accent associated with a country where the person has never lived or a language they have never spoken. For example, a native English speaker who has never left the United States may begin speaking English with a Spanish accent.