STUHT-ur-ing
/ˈstʌtɚɪŋ/
stuttering is pronounced STUHT-ur-ing (/ˈstʌtɚɪŋ/). Stuttering is a speech dis fluency characterized by involuntary repetitions, prolongations, or blocks that disrupt the normal flow of speech. It often involves involuntary pauses or hesitations, and may vary in frequency and severity across contexts. The term encompasses a range of dysfluencies and is commonly discussed in clinical, educational, and personal contexts.
Stuttering is a speech dis fluency characterized by involuntary repetitions, prolongations, or blocks that disrupt the normal flow of speech. It often involves involuntary pauses or hesitations, and may vary in frequency and severity across contexts. The term encompasses a range of dysfluencies and is commonly discussed in clinical, educational, and personal contexts.
"Her stuttering became more noticeable during stressful presentations."
"Therapy helped reduce his blocks and improve fluency in everyday conversations."
"Children who stutter sometimes fear speaking in class."
Pronounce as /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/. Start with a stressed first syllable: /ˈstʌ/ with the tongue high-mid, lips neutral. Then /tər/ where the /t/ is a crisp stop and /ə/ is a schwa. End with /ɪŋ/ where the tongue relaxes and the velum lowers slightly; ensure the final nasal sound blends smoothly. IPA guides: US /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/, UK /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/, AU /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (e.g., /ˈstuh-terr-ing/), altering the /ʌ/ to a more open or lax vowel, or running the /t/ and /ər/ together without a clear boundary. Correction: hold the /ˈstʌ/ syllable with a crisp /t/ before the schwa, then /rɪŋ/. Practice by isolating syllables: /ˈstʌ/ + /tər/ + /ɪŋ/, ensuring each segment has clear articulation. Also avoid turning /t/ into a tap in careful speech; maintain the stop consonant for clarity.
US/UK/AU share /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/ with rhoticity affecting /r/: US and AU typically rhotic, keeping /r/; UK tends to non-rhotic tendencies in some varieties but within stuttering the /r/ can be pronounced intervocalically. Vowel length and quality differ: US often has a tenser /ˈstʌtərɪŋ/, UK may have a shorter /ə/ in some speakers; AU resembles US closely but can have broader diphthongs. Focus: keep the /ʌ/ vowel stable; ensure clear /t/ release before /ər/.
The difficulty lies in coordinating rapid alternations between the initial consonant cluster /st/, a mid-central vowel /ʌ/ that can shift under stress, and the post-consonantal sequence /ər/ followed by /ɪŋ/. Coarticulation makes /t/ influence the following schwa; individual differences in mouth tension, airflow, and timing disrupts fluent release. Practicing with deliberate pacing and controlled breath supports smoother transitions through each phoneme.
Stuttering has no silent letters; all letters contribute to pronunciation: /s/ + /t/ + /ʌ/ + /t/ + /ər/ + /ɪŋ/. The challenge isn’t silent letters but timing: the /t/ release before /ər/ and the unstressed /ə/ position. Emphasize syllable boundaries and ensure the /t/ is a clear stop before the /ər/; avoid de-emphasizing the first syllable, which can slow overall rate.
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The word stuttering derives from the Middle English stuteren, related to Old English stutian, meaning to make a lot of quick, repeated sounds or to stumble in speaking. The modern noun form likely emerged in the 16th–17th centuries, tied to the root meaning of “stute” or “stout” in Middle English, evolving through usage to specifically describe speech dysfluency. In many languages, the phenomenon has recognizable cognates with similar roots referring to stammering or hesitations, reflecting a cross-linguistic focus on interrupted flow. The term gradually acquired clinical weight in the 19th and 20th centuries as medical and psychological frameworks began to classify speech disorders, distinguishing stuttering from mere hesitations. Early descriptions emphasized repetitions of sounds and syllables, later expanding to include prolongations and blocks as core features. First known English medical discussions inventory stammering-like symptoms in prodigious rhetorical texts, but systematic scientific attention grew with modern aphasiology and speech-language pathology, setting the stage for contemporary assessment and therapy approaches.
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