Language Development and Stuttering
Abstract
Research on bilingualism has been important for understanding language and cognitive processes. The research has resulted in debates about whether speaking more than one language increases cognitive capacities such as flexibility, ability to learn languages, and executive function or potentially limits these capacities (Lehtonen, 2018). Therefore, efforts to identify language behaviors that reflect cognitive capacities in bilinguals have been at the forefront of this area of research. One behavior that has been examined as a reflection of decreased executive functioning is stuttering, which has been studied as far back as 1937 (Travis et al., 1937). Previous studies on stuttering have examined only participants who were diagnosed by a speech therapist/doctor. This overlooks people who stutter but do not have the resources to get an official diagnosis. The present study asked bilingual low-income participants whether they stutter. Some studies have found no significant differences in stuttering rates between bilingual and monolingual speakers (Bakhtiar et al., 2023) while others have found a positive correlation (Howell et al., 2009; Stern, 1948; Travis et al., 1937). In addition, there has been a question about whether people stutter more in their first or second-language. Bilinguals may stutter more in a secondary-language, indicating emotional influences often overlooked in stuttering research. Maruthy and colleagues (2015) found that bilingual Kannada-English speakers demonstrated greater stuttering frequency in their second-language compared to their first-language. The present study employed a survey methodology to gather information on bilingualism and stuttering experiences. In an online survey, 71 low-income participants from a Hispanic-serving university were asked how many languages they spoke and whether they stuttered. Of the participants, 33-identified as multilingual, 37 as monolingual, and one did not specify. Only 5 had a formal stuttering diagnosis, 28 reported experiencing stuttering, and 41 reported no issues (2 did not report). Among multilinguals, 52% reported stuttering, versus 49% . In monolinguals, 31% reported stuttering and 69% did not ( X2 (1, N = 69)= 3.14, p = .077). Most reported being equally likely to stutter in their first and second language. Self-rated fluency in the second-language and the age at which the second-language was learned was not related to stuttering. Our findings suggest that multilinguals were more likely to report stuttering than monolinguals but the issue is complex and needs to consider subjective beliefs about speech competency.
Language Development and Stuttering
SU-003
Research on bilingualism has been important for understanding language and cognitive processes. The research has resulted in debates about whether speaking more than one language increases cognitive capacities such as flexibility, ability to learn languages, and executive function or potentially limits these capacities (Lehtonen, 2018). Therefore, efforts to identify language behaviors that reflect cognitive capacities in bilinguals have been at the forefront of this area of research. One behavior that has been examined as a reflection of decreased executive functioning is stuttering, which has been studied as far back as 1937 (Travis et al., 1937). Previous studies on stuttering have examined only participants who were diagnosed by a speech therapist/doctor. This overlooks people who stutter but do not have the resources to get an official diagnosis. The present study asked bilingual low-income participants whether they stutter. Some studies have found no significant differences in stuttering rates between bilingual and monolingual speakers (Bakhtiar et al., 2023) while others have found a positive correlation (Howell et al., 2009; Stern, 1948; Travis et al., 1937). In addition, there has been a question about whether people stutter more in their first or second-language. Bilinguals may stutter more in a secondary-language, indicating emotional influences often overlooked in stuttering research. Maruthy and colleagues (2015) found that bilingual Kannada-English speakers demonstrated greater stuttering frequency in their second-language compared to their first-language. The present study employed a survey methodology to gather information on bilingualism and stuttering experiences. In an online survey, 71 low-income participants from a Hispanic-serving university were asked how many languages they spoke and whether they stuttered. Of the participants, 33-identified as multilingual, 37 as monolingual, and one did not specify. Only 5 had a formal stuttering diagnosis, 28 reported experiencing stuttering, and 41 reported no issues (2 did not report). Among multilinguals, 52% reported stuttering, versus 49% . In monolinguals, 31% reported stuttering and 69% did not ( X2 (1, N = 69)= 3.14, p = .077). Most reported being equally likely to stutter in their first and second language. Self-rated fluency in the second-language and the age at which the second-language was learned was not related to stuttering. Our findings suggest that multilinguals were more likely to report stuttering than monolinguals but the issue is complex and needs to consider subjective beliefs about speech competency.