Xenoglossy

Czech who bounced into English

This article was in one of the free newspapers that are handed out in London. Weird. Is that really possible? It was the only newspaper that I could find online that reported on it, which seems fishy. I also find it hilarious that all those English newspapers have pages and pages about mostly American celebrities. Who cares about celebrities when reading the news? Apparently they do, from the fact that Posh wore the same dress all day to Britney getting chubby . . . no wonder people run from the paparazzi!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Matej Kus

A speedway rider from the Czech Republic woke after being knocked out in a crash to discover he could speak perfect English.

Matej Kus, who barely knew the language beforehand, came around in an ambulance after the smash and began speaking English fluently.

The 18-year-old had been unconscious for 45 minutes after spinning out of control while racing for the Berwick Bandits on a track in Glasgow.

Team promoter Peter Waite said: 'It was unbelievable to hear him talk at all – never mind in English. It floored us all.

'It was in a really clear English accent. Matej asked who he was when he came round and he didn't even know that he was Czech.

'Before his crash, his use of the English language was broken, to put it mildly. I'm not a doctor but even I can tell you that it's not normal.'

Bandits spokesman Lawrence Heppell said: 'Matej had spun out of control right in front of a rider who had nowhere to go except over Matej's head.'

Mr Kus injured ligaments in his left knee in the accident on Sunday and is on crutches. He has been told to take it easy for a month.

The rider, who turned 18 on Tuesday, has now returned to his home in the city of Plzen, west of Prague.

The ability to speak a language without having learned it is known as xenoglossy. There are just a handful of recorded cases and scientific research is rare.