Towards a Notion of Transfluency

[ Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]


The notion of transfluency.

From: Dave Williams
Date: 06 Oct 2009
Time: 15:35:47 -0500
Remote Name: 98.219.124.61

Comments

A most interesting article, Cristobal! You have some thought-provoking ideas. I do have a question: You say that when a stutterer "comes out of the closet" his life improves but without improving fluency (i.e., he is still stuttering ??)Yet you also state that when the stutterer comes out, he does not stutter "but simply has a transfluent speech pattern.") This seems like a contradiction, but I may be oversimplifying what you've said. I'm just trying to understand exactly what you mean by "transfluency." Is a listener able to detect any difference between "real stuttering" and "transfluency"? Or can any difference be detected by any type of laboratory instrumentation? If not, it would seem that "transfluency" is simply a concept or a subjective feeling by the speaker: "Now I'm speaking with transfluency, but yesterday I was really stuttering." I'm an ancient stutterer, nearly 88 years old, I used to be a severe stutterer (really phobic about my stuttering), but gradually I worked out of it, and for a good many years now I've been very (I'd say 99%) fluent, with absolutely no fears/anxieties, no avoidances, no 'negative emotions'of any kind about stuttering. I'm highly aware of my good feelings and fluent speech, and I revel in it! The only negative thing is my regret (even anger) at all the years I wasted enmeshed in my stuttering problem and feeling sorry for myself. But I'm rambling too much about myself. Again let me say that your article is fascinating, and you are getting at some very significant problems in the management of stuttering. Congratulations!


Last changed: 10/06/09