Multilingualism, Speech Disfluencies, and Stuttering: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Linguistics
• Psycholinguistics

Background:

• Understanding speech disfluencies in multilingual individuals is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
• Existing research often applies monolingual standards, potentially misinterpreting disfluencies in multilingual speakers.
• Multilingualism introduces unique factors influencing speech production and fluency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize existing literature on speech disfluencies in multilingual individuals who stutter and those who do not.
• To investigate the influence of language dominance and proficiency on the types and frequency of speech disfluencies.
• To identify gaps in research and inform clinical assessment practices for multilingual clients.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searches were performed across major databases (Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase) using keywords related to multilingualism and speech disfluencies.
• Data extraction included study characteristics, participant details, methods, disfluency types, definitions, frequency, and group differences; 68 studies were included from 792 screened records.

Main Results:

• Multilingual individuals who stutter and those who do not exhibit similar types of speech disfluencies.
• A significant difference was observed in the frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies between the two groups.
• Speech disfluency frequency was generally higher in the less dominant and/or proficient language for both groups.
• Monolingual assessment guidelines are not directly applicable to multilingual speakers.

Conclusions:

• The findings highlight the need for specialized approaches to assess stuttering in multilingual populations to prevent misdiagnosis.
• Further research is required to comprehensively understand how multilingualism impacts speech disfluency manifestation.
• A standardized and uniform methodology for defining and evaluating speech disfluencies in multilingual individuals is essential.