Incredibly-talented woman can change her accent so quickly people can't tell where she's from
The Language Blondie is impressive.
Teona Sima seemlessly switches between accents.
Some people have an innate ability to pick up languages. One of the indicators that someone can quickly learn multiple languages is their musical ear. Those who can distinguish tones can also detect minor pronunciation differences between different languages, such as how a “D” is pronounced differently in English versus Spanish.
Studies also show that people who are great at picking up multiple languages have good memories, and they can encode things in long-term memory and retrieve them quickly.
An excellent example of someone who has the innate ability to pick up multiple languages and knows how to have fun with them is Teona Sima, who goes by The Language Blondie on special media. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Macedonian and Turkish. She also has the incredible ability to speak languages in the accents of people from other countries.
Here’s a video that went viral on TikTok with over 40 million views where she speaks English in 12 different accents: American English, Greek, Australian, French, Russian, Spanish, Macedonian, British English, Serbian, Indian, Turkish and Italian.
Can you figure out where she’s from, originally, just by hearing her do multiple accents?
@thelanguageblondie #accentchallenge #accent #accents #languages #language #languagelearning #accentqueen #imitation #american #british #english #australian #spanish #french #italian #turkish #greek #serbian #macedonian #russian #fyp #tiktok #viral #fypシ #indian #acting #challenge #polyglot
Sima has an incredible ability to interpret the English language with multiple accents, so she must be from an English-speaking country, right? Nope, she is actually from Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, where the native tongue is Macedonian. Over 1.3 million people speak Macedonian as a first language.
Currently, Sima is a student at the American University in Bulgaria and is a marketing intern.
Sima told Unilad that her ability to mimic other accents has allowed her to convince others that she is from Ireland, Los Angeles, and Australia. She says that she started to pick up her knack for accents at the age of 11 or 12.
"I grew up watching Superwoman, Miranda Sings, and Liza Koshy, and I imitated them a lot at home, which I think was crucial for my language learning skills as they involve a lot of careful listening and imitation," Sima explained.
She believes anyone can learn her language skills, but it takes time. "You will absolutely sound terrible in the beginning, but don’t get discouraged, practice, practice, practice, then practice some more, and you will inevitably master it!," she continued. "The important thing is to have fun with it and do your best to imitate exactly what you hear.”
Sima’s advice mirrors that of Emily Sabo, a linguistics researcher who says motivation is one of the most critical factors in language acquisition. People who find themselves in a new country where they don’t speak the language learn a lot faster than those who are studying it for fun.
Another one of Sima’s most impressive videos is where she pretends to be a newscaster speaking multiple languages: Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, French, Spanish, Turkish and English (UK and US).
What’s great is not only does she appear to be a native speaker when doing the accents, but she has that proper serious newscaster delivery.
Here’s a video that went viral on TikTok with over 40 million views where she speaks English in 12 different accents: American English, Greek, Australian, French, Russian, Spanish, Macedonian, British English, Serbian, Indian, Turkish and Italian.
Can you figure out where she’s from, originally, just by hearing her do multiple accents?
[Video]
Sima has an incredible ability to interpret the English language with multiple accents, so she must be from an English-speaking country, right? Nope, she is actually from Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, where the native tongue is Macedonian. Over 1.3 million people speak Macedonian as a first language.
Currently, Sima is a student at the American University in Bulgaria and is a marketing intern.
Sima told Unilad that her ability to mimic other accents has allowed her to convince others that she is from Ireland, Los Angeles, and Australia. She says that she started to pick up her knack for accents at the age of 11 or 12.
"I grew up watching Superwoman, Miranda Sings, and Liza Koshy, and I imitated them a lot at home, which I think was crucial for my language learning skills as they involve a lot of careful listening and imitation," Sima explained.
She believes anyone can learn her language skills, but it takes time. "You will absolutely sound terrible in the beginning, but don’t get discouraged, practice, practice, practice, then practice some more, and you will inevitably master it!," she continued. "The important thing is to have fun with it and do your best to imitate exactly what you hear.”
Sima’s advice mirrors that of Emily Sabo, a linguistics researcher who says motivation is one of the most critical factors in language acquisition. People who find themselves in a new country where they don’t speak the language learn a lot faster than those who are studying it for fun.
Another one of Sima’s most impressive videos is where she pretends to be a newscaster speaking multiple languages: Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, French, Spanish, Turkish and English (UK and US).
What’s great is not only does she appear to be a native speaker when doing the accents, but she has that proper serious newscaster delivery.
[Video]
- 11-year-old is the world's youngest opera singer and can sing in eight different languages ›
- Watch this news correspondent switch between six different languages—fluently—in Kyiv report ›
- Bilingual people share their 'they didn't know I spoke their language ... ›
- People share funny mistakes they've made in other languages - Upworthy ›
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."