Stuttering Characteristics of
German-English Bilingual Speakers
Martina Schäfer & Prof. Michael Robb
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Bilingualism
!
Two general concepts
!
Language acquisition
!
!
L1 vs L2
Language proficiency
1-2 years: interpersonal skills
! 5-7 years: cognitive and academic language proficiency
!
(Gonzalez et al., 2004)
Stuttering & Blingualism:
Areas Investigated
Linguistic
factors
Phonetic
factors
L2 acquisition
Language
Proficiency/
dominance
Amount &
type of
stuttering in
L1 vs L2
Stuttering
&
Bilingualism
Cultural
factors
SocioPsychological
factors
Prevalence
ML vs BL
13 major studies between
1937 - 2008
The Difference Hypothesis
!
Does the frequency of stuttering differ
between L1 and L2?
!
L2! (Jankelowitz & Bortz, 1996; Lim et al., in
press; Roberts, 2002)
!
L1!: (Jayaram, 1983; Howell et al., 2004;
Meline et al., 2006)
!
L1 = L2 (Roberts, 2002)
Content-Function Word Dichotomy
!
!
Content Words = nouns, verbs (open
vocabulary)
Function Words = articles, prepositions,
conjunctions (closed vocabulary)
Children who Stutter
Adults who Stutter
Content Words
Content Words*
Function Words*
Function Words
Content-Function Word Dichotomy
!
Differential pattern of stuttering on word
type in bilinguals (Howell et al., 2004)
!
Is the content-function word dichotomy a
reflection of language ability?
Less proficient language
More proficient language
Content Words
Content Words*
Function Words*
Function Words
Research Questions
!
!
Does the frequency of stuttering differ
between L1 and L2?
Does stuttering occur more often on
content words in L1 and more often on
function words in L2?
Methodology
!
Participants: 15 German-English PWS
4 Females, 10 Males
! 10-59 years (Mean=25, SD=13)
! Isolated developmental fluency disorder
! Exhibited > 3%SS in L1
! L2 exposure > 5 years
! No control for sex, age, or treatment
!
!
Procedure
Conversational Speech Sample
! Cloze Test (Evans, 2002)
!
Data Analysis
!
Frequency of stuttering in L1 and L2
Percentage words stuttered
! Percentage syllables stuttered
! Severity rating scale (Onslow
Onslow et al., 2003)
2003
!
!
!
Frequency of stuttering on content and
function words in L1 and L2.
Significance testing between L1 and L2 and
within/between word types.
Results: Frequency of Stuttering
25
p =.001
p =0.01
30
25
20
20
%SS
15
% WS
15
10
10
5
5
0
0
German
English
Language
!
German
English
Language
Mean percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) and words stuttered
(%WS) in German (L1) and English (L2). The upper limits of the
standard deviation are also shown.
Results: Content & Function Words
!
Significantly more stuttering
on content words in L1.
!
No difference found in L2.
!
Significantly more stuttering
on content words in L1
80
FUNCTION
CONTENT
60
%SS 40
compared to content words in
L2.
20
!
Significantly more stuttering
on function words in L2
compared to function words in
L1.
0
German
English
Language
Discussion
!
!
Question 1: Does the frequency of stuttering differ
between L1 and L2? YES
Why?
!
!
!
Appears to be associated with language proficiency (dominance)
Question 2: Does stuttering occur more often on
content words in L1 and more often on function
YES
words in L2?
Why?
!
Changes in disfluency pattern possibly associated with language
development (i.e., syntax) rather than with age.
(Au-Yeung et al., 2003; Bernstein, 1981; Howell et al, 2004; Rispoli & Hadley, 2001)
Where to from here?
!
!
The relationship between bilingualism and
communication disorders is still poorly understood.
Future research in the area of stuttering should
consider:
!
The role of language (syntax) development and
stuttering
!
!
!
Development of a language proficiency test
Cross-language comparisons (English L1/German L2 vs
German L1/English L2)
Language specific distribution of stuttering
Clinical implications: Assessment
!
How do I assess a bilingual PWS?
!
!
No standard protocol for assessment
Are disfluencies due to limited language
proficiency or due to stuttering?
!
!
Stuttering must occur in the more proficient
language
If only observed in the less proficient language
more likely to relate to language ability (Van Borsel et
al., 2001; Bernstein Ratner, 2004)
Clinical implications: Management
!
How do I treat a bilingual PWS?
!
Absence of direct research examining treatment
efficacy in bilingual PWS.
!
Conflicting results on generalisation without
treating both languages
!
Help parents develop a home program
!
!
(Gutmann & Shenker, 2006)
Integrate culturally suitable stimulus material
Improve language skills in the less proficient language
!
Supports remission
(Bernstein Ratner, 2005)
References
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
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!
!
!
!
!
!
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