Monday 23 May 2022 08:22 AM Dentist who woke up from surgery with an Irish accent shares update one year on trends now
An Australian dentist who developed an Irish accent after tonsil surgery despite never having visited the country before has documented her vocal transformation a year later.
Brisbane professional Angie Yen, 29, who was born in Taiwan but moved to Australian when she was eight, didn't know what to think about her new twang following an operation on her tonsils in April 2021.
Ms Yen has never been to the European nation, and has no Irish heritage.
The accent didn't kick in until eight days after the operation in a phenomenon even her doctors couldn't initially explain.
Brisbane professional Angie Yen, 29, who was born in Taiwan but moved to Australian when she was eight, didn't know what to think about her new twang following an operation on her tonsils in April 2021
Scientist Karl Kruszelnicki said the condition, which is called Foreign Accent Syndrome and has been recorded about 100 times in history, was likely caused by a brain disorder.
He hit back at critics who claimed Ms Yen's accent sounded fake or inconsistent, explaining the accent was not real but rather a 'distorted version of the patient's existing language.'
Ms Yen claims she went to the hospital and spoke to her specialist after the accent developed but was told to 'sit tight' and 'let the body heal'.
Now, a year after her surgery, Ms Yen still has an Irish drawl but it's far less obvious than it was in April 2021.
Now, a year after her surgery, Ms Yen still has an Irish drawl but it's far less obvious than it was in April 2021
'I still struggle to pronounce words sometimes in my professional life as a dentist - embarrassing at times, people struggle to understand what I'm saying and I get frustrated being asked to repeat myself,' she told 7News.
'I still sound different and some days with a thicker accent.'
There is no known cure for the disorder and therefore not much doctors can provide her with to prevent the accent from continuing.
'After going viral, I had people from all over the world reach out to me saying how they were glad they finally found another person who has this isolating and rare condition and they felt validated,' she said.
Ms Yen has used her TikTok account to raise awareness about FAS, sharing almost daily videos about the state of her voice.
