There’s this woman I work with who seems to have her accent change randomly.
Some days she sounds like a typical American accent, then others she sounds like she has a Caribbean accent and others she sounds like she has a French accent, and others she sounds like she has an Arabic accent. Other days her voice is super messed up, like she’s been screaming.
Beyond her voice changing, she is an odd person to work with. She’s gotten into public, loud vocal spats with other coworkers even in meetings. She was very nice and sweet with me when I first had to interact with her but that all changed when I made an honest mistake one time and she went off on me and wouldn’t stop until I ignored her and now I just keep my distance unless I have to. Others have said similar things about her as well.
I’ve wondered if maybe she has a personality disorder, but I would think that would also cause her to not do her job correctly?
I don’t know, I’m just curious. This is something I’ve never experienced before and wondering what this could be.
Foreign Accent Syndrome
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.2007.19.1.70
Generally associated with brain trauma
There is a specific psychiaric disorder associated with speaking in varied accents. I don’t remember what it’s called, but you might find more on the wikipedia page for the DSM5
Pretty sure I read about this in Joe Navaro’s book What Every Body Says. It’s possibly a sign she is uncomfortable or stressed. My wife in social situations will sometimes start talking like an old Jewish lady from the Bronx, sort of like Fran Drescher. More commonly peoples voices will go up an octave like when asking for a favor.
Plot twist, OP works in a voiceover studio.
The dungeon master didn’t write down which NPCs have which accents.
Does she work on a very diverse workplace? Some people unconsciously mirror the speech patterns of people around them, that can include accents
Somewhat. We do work with people with Arabic accents which could explain that. But no one with a Caribbean accent and only one person I’m aware of who just started working with us with a French accent. But that’s an interesting theory.
Just because someone has a personality disorder doesn’t mean they are incapable of doing their jobs. That’s an ableist assumption.
Don’t take it as an insult, if you keep being ableist that would be grounds for insults, but I’m honestly just letting you know.
Understood, thanks for the correction. I didn’t mean it in that way but I can see how that’s how it comes off and I’ll be more sensitive in the future.
Is she, or her family, Muslim French-Caribbean? Many locales in the Caribbean were historically controlled by the French for some time. Many Caribbeans moved to the US, and many would have settled into, broadly, black communities. Many black people in the US converted to Islam.
If she fits this description, it’s perfectly reasonable that she has spent much of her life talking to people with American, French, Caribbean, and Arabic accents. It’s also possible that she consumes media where speakers have those accents. As elsewhere noted, we tend to mimic accents somewhat, especially with consistent exposure.
It’s perfectly reasonable that, shortly after spending some time around a certain accent, or while discussing a topic predominantly discussed with those of a certain accent, she may slip into one herself.
She did wish some of our team members a happy Ramadan once I can remember. Not exactly confirmation as not just Muslims can wish someone that, but possible.
That’s an interesting theory and seems to line up with some other things I do know of her based on her location somewhat near the Caribbean. This is a possible theory with what little I know about her background.
Autism/ adhd masking
My first thought as well. I this autistic masking would be more suitable here but technically both could work.
That said, there’s a lot of great ideas in this thread.
She may enjoy having fun
It’s normal for people to change how they speak based on the audience they’re speaking to. Here’s an interesting video focusing on “gay voice” but notes it’s not just a thing gay men do. Everyone does it. The thing is, it’s consistent, not random. If the person at your work isn’t changing their voice based on who they’re talking to, but randomly, they’re just being weird.
I have a good friend who lives and works in West Hollywood. Whenever he comes to visit his accent sounds hella gay when he first shows up, and gets less and less gay as the visit progresses. We definitely adjust our speech based on whom we are surrounded by. I once hung out with a Londoner for a week, and near the end of the trip it was pointed out to me that I was speaking with an English accent when I got drunk. The funny thing is that my then-girlfriend told me to stop it, and I couldn’t. I couldn’t go back to my normal accent for some reason. Of course it went back to normal on its own when I sobered up the next day.
For myself, I sometimes still slip into it when I’m in a place where my anxiety is heightened. I was told I have “borderline DID” (disassociative identity disorder) stemming from PTSD, and that causes these kinds of “defenses” to pop up. Stress can absolutely trigger something like that.
It could very well be a brain injury, an autism quirk, or something else. Sounds like it’s nothing to be concerned about, but I agree that it can be confusing or jarring!
As for her aggressive behavior, definitely talk to your superior about it. Regardless of her issue(s), a coworker should not be so hostile towards anyone.
I didn’t think there’s a specific disorder that results in accent changes. It could be a simple as wanting attention - maybe wanting someone to ask her about it - or it could be she has some psychological disorder.
There is a thing called “Foreign Accent Syndrome,” but as I understand it, it just affects the way your mouth and tongue work in a way that others perceive it as a foreign accent. I don’t think it would cause shifting from one accent to another.
Maybe Histrionic Personality Disorder?
I know someone like that. Does she also sometimes claim to be working on her PhD and to have multiple marriage prospects?
