Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Hearing loss and voice

15 replies281 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Reply

I was born and lived all my life in Egypt. However, on more than one occasion, especially recently, a few people commented on my "accent".

After a large number of Sudanese fled their country, and due to my dark skin, some thought I was Sudanese whenever I opened my mouth. In other words, people doubt my Egyptianness because I don't sound "Egyptian" to them.

I couldn't find a "valid" reason for it. My guess is that it has something to do with my deafness. I don't hear well, so I don't speak "properly" or as most people speak.

Does anyone have a similar experience? Do people doubt you are a native because of the way you speak?

8 people in this conversation4 min readJump to latest

Kind of similar - I grew up in NYC, but many people say I sound like I'm from Boston. The affect of my distorted hearing on my voice is my only explanation for this.

Edited

Oh yeah- that has happened to me before sometimes. Was born deaf then hearing aids from 2 years old to now. I'm asked where I'm from. Memory isn't the best but I am sure I was once asked if I was from some other country (Germany? :man_shrugging: I grew up in Pennsylvania, US lol).

Haven't run into this in a while as I don't get out much anymore after losing my job last year.

Maybe a mild form of the 'deaf accent' lol

In reply to @Zeeza

@Zeeza said:

Does anyone have a similar experience? Do people doubt you are a native because of the way you speak?

Yes, some people on the street thinks I am Ukrainian. The same cause - many of them fled because of the war due to Russia.

Thank you for commenting! So I'm not alone in this! :))

@DeafDucky said:

Maybe a mild form of the 'deaf accent' lol

Deaf accent! I love that.

I might write a post about this experience. Do you mind if I use your words (deaf accent) in it?

Accent modification can be done with a speech language pathologist.

But if you are getting more comments recently I might be a little bit concerned about whether you have sufficient high frequency audibility with your hearing aids.

Edited
@Neville said:

whether you have sufficient high frequency audibility with your hearing aids.

How can I make sure whether the high-frequency audibility is fine or not?

Edit: ***recently *** refers to the last three years or so. I don't remember whether I got similar comments when I was younger. But I remember during my college, many years ago, some colleagues told me once that I had a "unique" voice. I don't know maybe that was a polite way to say I have a "rare accent"!!

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

But if you are getting more comments recently I might be a little bit concerned about whether you have sufficient high frequency audibility with your hearing aids.

THIS...! INDEED...! Story lf my ~33 years life with hearing loss and being underfit with high frequencies.

In reply to @Zeeza

Oof, but in Egypt I don't know. Make sure your hearing test is up to date and your ear molds are fitting well. See if they can clean your hearing aids and check them in the test box with an updated (?) or maybe just send them in for manufacturer repair and then reprogram with updated audiogram. Ask if you have sufficient headroom with the feedback measure using your current molds. Turn up the volume and see if that helps.

Gunk in the microphones can limit high frequencies pretty easily. Are you brushing your microphones regularly?

No probably not if nothing is visible with a magnifying glass. Regular vaccuuming would typically be better, although sometimes enough gunk builds up when people are not doing regular upkeep that I have to scrub with alcohol and vaccuum.

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

Make sure your hearing test is up to date and your ear molds are fitting well.

I had one just almost a couple of months ago. My molds are fitting well. I clean the mold and put my hearing aids in a can with silica gel during the night.

@Neville said:

send them in for manufacturer repair and then reprogram with updated audiogram.

There's no one in my hometown. That means I have to wait until I travel to Cairo.

@Neville said:

Are you brushing your microphones regularly?

Brushing which parts?

*I think my rare accent/ (mis)pronunciation is just a consequence of years of hearing loss and years of not wearing a hearing aid at all. I believe I need a patient speech therapist to help me say words correctly without being able to hear them.*

@Zeeza said:

Brushing which parts?

On the bodies of your are small ports to let sound into the microphones. These usually are protected by screens. I use a vacuum all over (both ends of molds and all the microphone ports) but a brush can do wonders as well.

WHImage of naida HA body with arrows pointing to microphone ports

In reply to @WhiteHat

LORDY LORDY LORDY!!!!

I have finally found the time and brain power to log in to this NEW looking forum and try to figure out how to communicate, navigate, even keep my same old pesky profile!

That migraine now receding, I wanted to thank you for the photo with indicators of what's safe to run a light brush over. I will do that on my Phonak 312s. I do change the about every 3-4 mos, but have ear canals like the Gobi Desert. Nothing in them. However, I live in the tropics and trips to the gym would destroy these 312s in a single visit - they are simply not UP for the task. I wear my older rechargeable Phonak Lumity Lifes to the gym. They go into a ReDux Pro for drying when I get home.

Now! Back to Zeeza's interesting observation about how we sound to others? I definitely get LOTS of questions from people. I read a lot of books, and sometimes I think I sound like someone from a different era in the manner in which I speak. However, my native-born Chicago accent is what's NEVER left me. I sound like a gangsta gal, and at 71 yrs old no longer care what planet folks think I'm from.

I DO know that I'm an alien cuz nothing electronic works on or around me - like those heart monitors on the gym machines, or screens that require a fingerprint (I've ground mine down to satin tips). These kinds of things are very frustrating. But I can only be persistent.

Related discussions