'I woke with a Geordie accent so good people think I'm local but I live 200 miles away'
A lady who awoke from a brief sleep slurring her speech before discovering she had acquired a completely different accent confesses she was initially "terrified" but now believes it represents the "real" her. Verity Went opted for a quick kip in an attempt to ward off a splitting headache.However, upon waking, Verity was utterly bewildered when she discovered her voice had undergone a dramatic transformation. The 28-year-old from south Staffordshire now speaks with a pronounced Geordie accent.She even catches herself dreaming and talking in her sleep using her newfound voice. She recently chose to venture to Newcastle to put the accent through its paces - and discovered that locals didn't even raise an eyebrow.Verity has subsequently been diagnosed with an uncommon ailment known as foreign accent syndrome. Speaking to What's The Jam, she revealed: "No one could tell the difference between me and a real Geordie – it was surreal."My accent hasn't changed at all since the incident. But now that some time has passed, I love my voice. It's become who I am."My friends and family are so used to it now, and everyone says they believe this is the real me, and that I suit it more than my original accent."Verity's startling transformation occurred on October 4, 2023. At that point she had been battling a migraine, a symptom of functional neurological disorder (FND), which she had been diagnosed with a year earlier.FND is the term used for 'medically unexplained' symptoms within the body that seem to stem from issues with the nervous system, yet aren't attributed to any physical neurological illness or condition.Verity recalled that particular day: "After a couple of hours I woke up and my speech was slurred, which I'm occasionally used to, but after five minutes it came back – and was Geordie."I was terrified. I went to the doctors straight away and since they already knew about my FND, they kind of knew it was something to do with that rather than a stroke."The doctor was so shocked and when I asked what to do, she said she's heard about it before but never seen it, and to go to the hospital."Even though I like it now and I'm used to it, at first I was so upset as I just felt I had completely lost myself and didn't know who I was anymore."Whilst she acknowledges it proved difficult to embrace her altered voice initially, Verity has gradually learnt to fully accept herself - even observing that both her internal thoughts and dreams now carry the same accent. She explained: "I don't want my voice to change back now."The change itself is so stressful and it took so long to find who I am – I don't want to go through that again. There's no knowing if it will change or not, so I just have to stay open-minded and hope that it doesn't."But I do believe it's permanent because of the fact it's changed my inner monologue as well, and in my dreams it's changed. I also sleep talk and my boyfriend says it's also in my new accent, so I can't see it changing."Verity is presently collaborating with an occupational therapist who specialises in FND to attempt to understand what is occurring within her body, although the seizures she once suffered from have now ceased.
