Can people suddenly speak another language?

Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) happens when you suddenly start to speak with a different accent. It’s most common after a head injury, stroke, or some other type of damage to the brain. Although it’s extremely rare, it’s a real condition.

How did people in the past learn a new language?

In Germanic areas, people would speak their own languages while perhaps using a word or two from the other language to be more easily understood. We see this a lot in Old English and Old Norse poems where Saxon characters interact with Norse characters. The educated among them would try to learn some Latin or Greek.

Is it possible to dream in a foreign language?

Dreaming in different languages is perfectly normal. In fact, people who have lucid dreams can sometimes voluntarily switch from one language to another during their dreams.

Is it possible to wake up and know another language?

While incredibly rare, cases like Reuben’s – where someone wakes up speaking a language they didn’t think they knew – are not unheard of. There was, for example, this man who spoke Welsh after a stroke despite not having been to Wales for 70 years.

How is foreign accent syndrome possible?

Foreign accent syndrome usually results from a stroke, but can also develop from head trauma, migraines or developmental problems. The condition might occur due to lesions in the speech production network of the brain, or may also be considered a neuropsychiatric condition.

How did people study foreign language before 19th century?

Before the middle of 19th century, the primary education was mostly Latin (the native languages were not taught at schools!) An educated person in Europe was first of all distinguished by the knowledge of Latin. Greek and other foreign languages were taught later.

How did we learn languages?

Children acquire language through interaction – not only with their parents and other adults, but also with other children. All normal children who grow up in normal households, surrounded by conversation, will acquire the language that is being used around them.