Vocal tics in a different accent are surprisingly common. Sometimes they are met with laughter, other times they may be seen as rude or offensive. Love them or hate them… well, tics don’t really care about that.
We love accents. And we love to try our best to replicate accents. Find someone that hasn’t attempted their best British accent and I’ll find you a Bob Cryer*
There’s no limit as to what part of the world that accent is from. If someone with accent tics knows an accent, it could become a tic.
British YouTuber Sweet Anita demonstrates this perfectly in her My Tics Changed?? video from 2019, stating ‘look at my sword!‘ with great enthusiasm in an American accent.
(video includes swearing/coprolalia)
Why are tics in a different accent?
Accent tics are vocal tics.
The CDC describes vocal tics as:
Vocal tics are sounds that a person makes with his or her voice. Examples of vocal tics include humming, clearing the throat, or yelling out a word or phrase.
Vocal tics can be sounds, words or phrases.
They can be simple sounds and one-word utterances, to complex sentences and phrases- similar to many of Sweet Anita’s tics.
For a deeper look at tics in general, What are Tics? will have you covered.
People with Tourette and tic disorders don't aim to offend
Tics are involuntary. People with tics do not choose what or when to tic, and these tics can change over time.
Sadly, some of these tics originate from things we want to do the least. Accents can be an example of this.
On other occasions, accents can bring lighthearted humour, helping us find joy in an often dark disorder.
Accent tics are another example of how fascinating and diverse Tourette and tic disorders can be. Even more so knowing these tics occur in all ages, genders, and corners of the globe.
Tics can be troublesome, whether that’s causing pain, embarrassment or done at a seemingly inappropriate time.
Be sure to speak to a specialist and those you can confide in if this is the case. Help can make tics more manageable.
*cockney rhyming slang for ‘liar’, apparently.