People think I have an accent

by Emily
(Bremerton, WA)

Hello,

My name is Emily McGlinchy and I had a couple strokes before I was 6 years old due to congential heart defect.

Since I have been working at a pharmacy in Valdez, Alaska, everybody were asking me, "Where are you from? What's your nationality?" I have explained that I got speech impairment from one of my strokes.

Most of them were thinking I was German!! A few other people were thinking I was Swedish, Austrialian, Italian, or British!! Most of them were surprised.

Today, a nurse said to me that I don't even have slurred speech.

I had speech pathology for more than 10 years as a kid while attending school.

Is it common for the stroke victims to sound like they have an accent instead of just speaking plainly in English? Why is that?

If you could explain more, I would appreciate it. My email address is emilyannmcglinchy at gmail.com

Thank you!!

Emily