The Prof is In

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Changing perceptions?

From: Ed Feuer
Date: 19 Oct 2011
Time: 09:31:40 -0500
Remote Name: 207.161.157.111

Comments

If society regards stuttering as a sign of lower intelligence, shame, failure or incompetence, then it is bound to spur our blind maladaptive attempts not to stutter. The noxious conversational usages of the terms "stuttering" and "stammering" evoke some variant of the above meanings. Evidence? As far away as Google News. Just type in stuttering or stammering. And it's getting worse (despite The King's Speech). On Aug. 25, 2011, an online something called the pressofAtlanticCity ran an editorial on the issue of "Boys playing field hockey? N.J.'s ban is fair." The piece included the following: "So girls can be on football teams. But boys cannot be on field-hockey teams. We can hear the irate stammering already: 'Don't male and female students have to be treated the same? Isn't it unfair to allow female students an opportunity that is denied to men? Doesn't this NJSIAA rule amount to reverse discrimination?' " So here "irate stammering" means something to the effect of angry stupidities/idiotic ravings. it's the other side of the equation in stuttering therapy which too many members of the profession with their focus simply on speech mechanics regard as too horrible to contemplate — so they don't. So that's Google News "stuttering" or "stammering".) Am I right? — Ed edfeuer@mts.net


Last changed: 10/22/11