STAMMERING OR STUTTERING

Stammering or stuttering.. hmm. It is a condition with many superstitions surrounding it ... Did you know that in Bible days in the city of Corinth, everyone wanted to speak in tongues because they thought someone who stammers is the mouth piece of the gods before Apostle Paul corrected them.. And in some places in Africa, it is believed that if you make jest of someone who stammer, you will begin to stammer ( and in actual sense, it appears so) . So what really is stammering!

Stammering, or stuttering, is a relatively common speech problem that occurs in childhood and can persist into adulthood. Stammering is "characterized” by stoppages and disruptions in fluency which interrupts the smooth flow and timing of speech. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak…People who stammer may avoid certain words or situations which they know will cause them difficulty.

Some people avoid and substitute words to such an extent that people in their lives may not realize they have a stammer. This is known as "covert stammering". People who stutter often find that stress and fatigue make it harder for them to talk flowingly, as well as situations in which they become self-conscious about speaking, such as public speaking or teaching. Most people who stutter find that their problem eases if they are relaxed. We all have the capacity to stutter if pushed far enough. This may happen during a very stressful interrogation in a police station, talking to emergency services on the telephone, or trying to respond to a particularly agile and aggressive lawyer while on the witness stand in court. 

According to the Stuttering Foundation of America, there are many factors that could lead to stammering.

Genetics is said to be a major contributor to this condition Approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also.

Child development is also another factor as children with speech and language problems or developmental delays are more likely to stammer.

Most stammerers are known to be short-tempered, because they are aware of their condition and feel that people do not bother to fully listen to them. In the process of stammering, what the person is trying to say may be lost on the listener and invariably, the listener may conclude or complete sentences for the person in ways that may be contrary to what he/she intended. This makes the stammerer angry due to bottled up anger or frustration, as they are not able to freely express themselves.

The cause of stammering, which eluded scientists for decades, has been found to be an abnormality in the left half of the brain. The condition affects one in 100 adults and can lead to frustration and embarrassment for sufferers.

Ms. Pauline Orji, a psychologist says, “Even though stammering sometimes can be hereditary, it is not so in all cases. For instance, if a father or mother stammers, it could be transferred to the child from the mother during pregnancy. This goes straight to the baby’s subconscious and it develops it. In this case it is hereditary.”

She further explains that there is a particular part of the brain that controls speech. A human being born 100 per cent normal has three levels of the mind. One of these - Id - is responsible for stammering. The Id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends.

It is responsible for stammering when you are aware of certain things but can’t do them, due to a complex.

The major cause of stammering is fear, she states. Being ashamed or not being composed can also be responsible, she says.

Stammering could have negative effects on the sufferer, says Orji. “There is the tendency for sufferers to become violent, because they can’t air their views. They end up developing immoral urges because they can’t speak out. When you voice things out, the part of the brain that controls that activity is empty but when you can’t speak out or say what you want to say, that part of the brain is filled. When this happens, sufferers develop immoral urges which make them think of bad things resulting in unacceptable behaviour,” she adds.

What are the risk factors?

·                          Family history - approximately half of all children who have a stutter that persists beyond the developmental stage of language have a close family member who stutters. If a young child has a stutter and also a close family member who stutters, his/her chances of that stutter continuing are much greater.

·                          Age when stutter starts - a child who starts stuttering before 3.5 years of age is less likely to be stuttering later on in life. The earlier the stuttering starts the less likely it is to continue long-term.

·                          Time since stuttering started - about three-quarters of all young children who stutter will stop doing so with one or two years without speech therapy.

·                          Sex of the person - long-term stuttering is four times more common among boys than girls.

How to behave when you are talking with somebody who stutters

People who are not used to talking to somebody with a stutter may be unsure about how to respond. This can make the listener to look away whenever the stutterer stutters, or try to help out by completing his/her missing words or phrases - or simply to try to avoid people who stutter altogether. 

It is important to remember that a person who stutters is interested in communicating just like everybody else, and would like to be treated just like any other person. Focus should be on the theme of the speaker, the information he/she is conveying, rather than how it is coming across. 


Telling the stutterer to relax, or to take a deep breath, may have helpful intentions, but could stress the stutterer more (it may help some, though). Stuttering is not simple to overcome, and cannot usually be easily sorted out with a few deep breaths. 

If you are really not sure how to behave, and you are talking to a person who stutters and nobody else is around, it may be helpful to ask them what would be the most best way to respond to his/her stuttering. 

Famous people who stammered

Stammering does not reflect a person's intelligence or personality. Here is a list of famous people who stammer/stammered:

·                            Aesop - Greek storyteller

·                            Alan Turing - Computer science founder

·                            Aneurin Bevan - Labour Party MP and Minister

·                            Anthony Quinn - Actor (Zorba the Greek)

·                            Aristotle - Philosopher

·                            Arnold Bennett - British writer/journalist

·                            Bruce Oldfield - British fashion designer

·                            Carly Simon - Singer (You're so vain)

·                            Charles Darwin - Scientist/Naturalist

·                            Claudius Cesar - Roman Emperor.

·                            Demosthenes - Greek orator

·                            Sir Jonathan Miller - British theatre/opera director

·                            Elizabeth Bowen - Author

·                            Erasmus Darwin - Scientist/Doctor, grandfather of Charles Darwin

·                            Field Marshall Lord Carver - British military leader/author

·                            Gareth Gates - English pop star

·                            George Washington - American President

·                            Harvey Keitel - Actor (Life on Mars)

·                            Isaac Newton - Scientist

·                            Jack Harold Paar - US comedian & TV host

·                            James Stewart - Actor (It's a wonderful life)

·                            John Montague - Poet/Author

·                            Joseph Priestley - Scientist (discovered oxygen)

·                            Kenneth Tynan - British theatre critic, writer

·                            Kim Philby - British double agent for the Soviets

·                            King Charles I - England 1625-1649

·                            King George VI - UK 1937-1952

·                            Lenin - Russian revolutionary

·                            Lewis Carroll - Author (Alice in Wonderland)

·                            Louis II the Stammerer, King of France, 877-879

·                            Marion Davies - Famous silent-movie actress

·                            Michael Bentine - British comedian, script-writer and TV star

·                            Michael Ramsey - Archbishop of Canterbury 1961-1974

·                            Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - Author

·                            Nevil Shute (1900-1960) - Author

·                            Philip Larkin - Poet, author, critic

·                            Raymond Massey - Actor (High treason)

·                            Richard Condon - Author

·                            Robert Boyle (1627-1691) - Scientist

·                            Robert Heinlein - Author

·                            Rowan Atkinson - Actor (Mr. Bean)

·                            Sam Neill - Actor (Jurassic Park)

·                            Samuel L. Jackson - (Pulp Fiction)

·                            Somerset Maugham - Author

·                            Theodore Roosevelt - American President

·                            Thomas Becket - Archbishop of Canterbury 1162-1170

·                            Thomas Jefferson - American President

·                            Walter H. Annenberg - Publisher, diplomat, philanthropist

·                            John Updike - Author

·                            Bill Withers - Singer, songwriter (Ain't no sunshine)