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. 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. While some studies show no difference in stuttering rates between bilinguals and monolinguals, others suggest a correlation. This study used an online survey to explore bilingualism and stuttering experiences. Most previous studies reported whether participants who stuttered had been diagnosed by a speech therapist/doctor. That could overlook people who stutter but do not have the resources to get an official diagnosis. The present study asked participants whether or not they felt they stutter often. Bilinguals may stutter more in a secondary-language, indicating emotional influences often overlooked in stuttering research. In an online survey, 71 participants were asked how many languages they spoke and whether or not they stuttered: 33-identified as multilingual, 37-as monolingual, and one did not specify. Only 5 had a formal stuttering diagnosis, but 28 reported experiencing stuttering. 2 did not report on stuttering, while 41 reported no issues. Among multilinguals, 51.5% (N=17) felt they stuttered, versus 48.5% (N=16) who did not. In monolinguals, 30.6% (N=11) reported stuttering, and 69.4% (N=25) did not. This multilinguals vs. monolingual difference approached statistical significance, X2 (1, N = 69)= 3.14, p = .077. Participants reported stuttering equally in their first and second-languages, with no relationship to second-language fluency or age of acquisition. Findings suggest multilingual individuals may be more likely to stutter than monolinguals.
Language Development and Stuttering
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