• You owe me a tenner, too, then, Graham. As you might have expected of me, I didn't crack up at all, as I don't think brain damage is funny, quite in general. As her doctor explains near the end, it's not a Chinese accent, either, but a speech impediment caused by mild brain damage that we merely 'interpret' as a Chinese accent. Had you listened closely, you would have noticed that not only have certain aspects of her enunciation changed, but also her grammar. She makes a lot of mistakes that, as a native speaker, she wouldn't have made before she was affected in this way. This serves to reinforce the impression that she speaks with a Chinese accent. It would sound a lot less like it if her grammar was still intact.

    I know that the people involved are trying to put a positive spin on it, but this woman has suffered a loss of ability that is likely to affect her life quite a lot. You wouldn't believe what a hard time people with speech impediments, such as a stammer, or other relatively subtle disabilities, have of it--they often find themselves discriminated against to the point where they find it hard to get a job, as people have the most stupid prejudices.

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