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Word familiarity, syllabic stress pattern, and stuttering
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 53201.
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
|June 1, 1994
Summary
This study found word frequency, not stress patterns, significantly impacts stuttering frequency in adults. Word familiarity, linked to vocabulary scores, plays a key role in stuttering events.
Area of Science:
- Speech and Language Pathology
- Psycholinguistics
- Neurolinguistics
Background:
- Stuttering (also known as stammering) is a speech disorder characterized by disruptions in fluency.
- Linguistic factors in utterances have been linked to stuttering, suggesting speech formulation difficulties as a potential cause.
- Previous research indicates a correlation between linguistic complexity and stuttering frequency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of word frequency and syllabic stress patterns on stuttering frequency in adults.
- To determine if word familiarity or word prominence is the primary driver of the word frequency effect in stuttering.
- To explore the relationship between stutterers' vocabulary knowledge and their stuttering patterns.
Main Methods:
- 10 adult stutterers and 10 adult nonstutterers read specially designed sentences.
- Stuttering frequency was measured across sentences varying in word frequency (low vs. high) and syllabic stress patterns (regular vs. irregular).
- Correlation analysis was performed between stutterers' word recognition vocabulary scores and stuttering frequency on different sentence types.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant difference in stuttering frequency was observed between sentences with low and high frequency words.
- No significant difference in stuttering frequency was found between sentences with regular and irregular syllabic stress patterns.
- A significant correlation confirmed that word familiarity, not just prominence, contributes to the word frequency effect on stuttering.
Conclusions:
- Word frequency is a significant factor influencing stuttering frequency in adults, with higher frequency words leading to less stuttering.
- Syllabic stress patterns do not appear to significantly affect stuttering frequency in this adult population.
- Difficulties in word access and phonological encoding may underlie stuttering events, supporting psycholinguistic theories of stuttering.