Segmental diagnostics of neurogenic and functional foreign accent syndrome

Previous research suggests differences in speech patterns between speakers with foreign accent syndrome (FAS) associated with a neurological (neurogenic FAS) versus a psychological aetiology (functional FAS). Differentiating sub-types holds important clinical implications, affecting the nature of follow-up assessment and treatment. To date, there exist no systematic comparisons between these sub-groups. To investigate possible differences, we employed auditory and acoustic analyses to compare schwa insertion and /r/production in speakers with FAS (12 neurogenic, 5 functional).