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From: Dale Williams
Date: 10/6/01
Time: 1:36:09 PM
Remote Name: 134.29.30.167
Danielle,
Good questions. I hope my responses will help.
If by external stimuli, you mean factors such as listener reactions and time pressure, I agree that these affect stuttering. In some cases, though, I think people stutter more in their 2nd language simply because they can't avoid as easily (e.g., it's harder to substitute words).
Keep in mind also that some people stutter *less* in their 2nd language. It could be that external factors play less of a role in their stuttering or it could be that the new language has fewer problem sounds. As an example of the latter point, I have trouble with stop sounds (p, b, t, d, g, k). When trying to learn German, I had an awful time with my fluency (all those ders & das's, etc.).
Hope I didn't further confuse the issue. Thanks for your questions.
Dale