‘I cannot make my voice sound any different. It is what it is and I cannot change it.

‘I had never been to China before and had a strong Plymouth accent.’

Experts say the condition is caused by a ‘drawing out’ or ‘clipping’ of the vowels that mimics an accent even though the patient has limited exposure to that country.

It was first identified during the Second World War when a Norwegian woman was hit by shrapnel during an air raid.