How does stuttering develop?
The origin of stuttering is multifactorial, including both nature and nurture. Research has demonstrated 30-60% of individuals who stutter also have family members who stutter. Contrastively, only less than 10% of fluent speakers have family members who stutter (Ambrose et al., 1993; Yairi & Ambrose, 2005). Research also shows that a child’s upbringing, including the speaking pace of the parents, the lifestyle pace of the household, as well as frequency of interruptions, has an immense impact on a child’s fluency. Specifically, when a parent talks to the child quickly, the child may unconsciously try to match their speech, realize their cognitive and motor skills are not fit for such a pace, and develop a habit of stuttering. It may be the same case with children with a busy schedule including after-school commitments, as they may be feeling as if they’re having to catch up. Further, when a child is frequently interrupted in the household--possibly due to several siblings wanting a speaking turn-- the pressure to speak quickly may once again develop a habit of stuttering. Overall, the cause of stuttering can be both genetics and environment.
Samuel L. Jackson is a Black actor who stutters. He reports that he was able to overcome it through acting.
As airflow is the foundation of speech, when the airflow is obstructed due to tension and uncontrolled closing of oral muscles, the sound produced is compromised.
Craig Skistimas, also known as Stuttering Craig, the co-founder of ScrewAttack which is a production company for video games.
The adored pig from Looney Tunes, Porky Pig, has a stutter. It has been found that he stutters 23% of his spoken words and uses a wide variety of stuttering types.
Stuttering affects around 70 million people worldwide, so yes of course there is going to be a comedian who stutters.
The National Stuttering Association (https://westutter.org/) is a good website to find news about stuttering. The ‘Stuttering Foundation’ is another website that provides the most up to date news (https://www.stutteringhelp.org)
News reporter John Stossel is a news reporter who stuttered. News reporter and journalist Byron Pitts also stutter.
There are two general philosophies of stuttering treatment: Fluency shaping, and Stuttering acceptance
When an individual stutters, the voice may change as there is additional tension on the vocal folds and on the musculature surrounding it.