AOLBen McMahon’s parents were overjoyed when their son woke up after a week in a coma — but they were shocked when they learned he could no longer speak English.
“I kind of slowly came out of the coma and then set eyes upon an Asian looking nurse and then the first thing that came was natural was to come out and say in Chinese, ‘Excuse me nurse, I feel really sore here,'” which Ben McMahon said in fluent Mandarin.
The now 22-year-old student was suddenly speaking and writing in Mandarin due to a phenomenon known as Foreign Language Syndrome.
According to Pimsleur, “Foreign Language Syndrome occurs after a serious accident or injury to the brain renders victims unconscious. When the patients come around they find themselves talking in completely different languages that they weren’t able to speak prior to the incident.”
In 2012, McMahon was the passenger in car accident that left him in a coma. Doctors told his parents it would be a “miracle if he survived.” Thankfully, he did survive — but he woke up a different person.
Growing up, McMahon had studied both French and Chinese, but could never speak the language fluently until after the coma.
Instances of Foreign Language Syndrome are rare but they do happen. In some cases accompanied by amnesia.
Ben McMahon regained his ability to speak English and retained his new-found skills with Mandarin, impressing even native speakers.
Now fully recovered, McMahon lives in Shanghai running Mandarin walking tours, hosting TV shows and attending school.
i hate Mandarin oranges. (Sorry) couldn’t resist. 😎
” Foreign Language Syndrome”, what will the psyc’s come up with next. This syndrome is to funny!
lol agree! too
Maybe a hint to the sleeping mericans that one day they will wake up and find themselves speaking……
Nah, they wouldn’t, would they?
lol. nice!
Tian A! Wo neng shuo Zhongwen!
Chinese translation: “Oh my god, I can speak Chinese!”
“Instances of Foreign Language Syndrome are rare but they do happen.”
So that’s what they are calling it these days? Well, I can tell you all that most people can acquire a Foreign Language very fast after they are drunk. 😉
I’m not kidding. Start learning a language and then get drunk and you’ll see how fast you pick it up.
Actually, I find myself speaking fluent Chinese and Japanese in my dreams sometimes. It’s the strangest thing. I guess that’s what happens when you start learning more than one foreign language. Your mind goes nuts.
NANI?
Anata wa chūgokugo o hanasu?
maybe this is whats happened with all our politicians
they went into induced comas and came out of it speaking jibberish