Words for Stuttering from around the world
Although there are many different words for stuttering all around the world, stuttering is a universal disorder. Below are the flags of countries of people who have who have used the Internet to find information about stuttering and have found the Stuttering Home Page since March 24, 2002. (flags will be added as I am able verify additional countries. If your country is missing, let me know)
The following words for stuttering is from a list collected by Richard Kitchens and Van Riper's The Nature of Stuttering, 1982, p.4 with additions/corrections by Gustaf Liljegren, Marc Maes, Atila Akay, Cecelia, Sim Hyun-Sub, Jonathan Bishop, Katie Zaman, Benny Ravid, George Petrentzev, Lou Heite, Manuel Rubin, Francisco Javier Sangorrin Garcia, Anita Makri, P.P. Kini, Erki Suurjaak, Stefan Wessels, Jesus Chavez, Leela Ahmed, J Ponjit, Taiwo Adeoye, Dr. Firouzi, Isabel O'Leary, Smilja Majevic
(If anyone can add to this list, please contact Judy Kuster)
EUROPEAN
- Danish: stammen
- Dutch: stotteren
- Finnish: ankyttaa
- French: begaiement (when speaking about the disorder), begue (person who stutters)
- Norweigan: stamming
- Swedish: stamning
- Spanish: "tartamudez" (when speaking about the disorder) or "tartamudeo" (when speaking about a single block). The verb "to stutter" is "tartamudear." In "Galician," spoken in northern Spain, the noun for stuttering is "tatexo" and the verb "to stutter" is "tatexar." In CataluŅa (North-east of Spain) "stuttering" is "caqueig," and the
person who stutter is called "quec"
- Estonian: kogelemine (stuttering), kogelema (to stutter) and kogeleja (stutterer)
- Czech: koktani
- Russian: zaikatsia; zaikanie
- German: stottern
- European Portuguese: gaguez
- Italian: balbuzie
- Latvian: stostisanas
- Hungarian: dadogo
- Esperanto: babuti
- Yugoslavia (Slovenic): jeclijati
- Bulgaria: zaekvane (n. stutterer) zaekvam (v. stuttering)
- Croatia: mucanje
- Iceland: stama
- Greek/Greek Cypriot - "travlisma" (stutter); "travlizo" (I stutter)
- Serbia: mucanje
EASTERN
- India, where many languages are spoken
English: Stammering/Stuttering
Hindi: Hakalaanaa
Marathi: Totarepanaa
Konkani: Tadasuche
Kannada: Tadavarisudu
Tulu: Godde
Tamil: Konnay/Thikku Vai
Malayalam: Vickal
Sanskrit: Jivha Jarata
Bangali: Totalaano
Oriya: Khana
Punjabi: Totalaanaa
- Persian: locknatezaban or LOKNA`T“
(in IRAN, Persian is 100% first spoken language; in Afghanistan it is the first spoken language, and it is also spoken In central Asian Countries like Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan)
- Turkish: kekeme - the person who stutters
kekelemek - the verb stutter
- Arabic: yutamtem; rattat
- Chinese (Cantonese): hau hick; kong'-tak-lak-kak
- Chinese (Mandarin): kou chi, as written in Pinyin, the official romanized alphabet for transcribing Chinese. ("Kou" rhymes with "hoe" and "chi" rhymes with "her")
- Hebrew: gimgum
- Hindustani: larbaraha
- Vietnamese: su noi lap
- Japanese: domori; kitsuon
- Tagalog: patalutal
- Korean: maldeodum
- Bangladesh: totla
- Dhivehi (spoken in Maldives which is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean): aagathun
- Thailand: Tid Ang
- Mirpuri (a version of Punjabi spoken by many of the immigrant population from Pakistan who are living in Sheffield UK): tata (with dentalised t)
AFRICAN
- Xhosa: ukuthititha
- Nigeria (Ibo): nsu
- Somali: wuu haghaglayya or hag hago
- Egyptian: tuhuhtuhuh; nit-nit
- Ghana (Twi): howdodo
- Shangaan: manghanghamela
- Lugnada: okukunanaagira
- Ga: haamuala
- Zula: Amalimi
- Afrikaans (spoken in South Africa - related to Dutch and Flemish) to stutter is to "hakkel" or "stotter" - "hakkel" is a lot more common.
- The Yoruba people of Western Nigeria refer to stuttering as KALOLO
- Shona: (spoken by some people in Zimbabwe): kundandamma
SOUTH AMERICA
- Brasilian Portuguese: gagueira
NORTH and CENTRAL AMERICA
- United States: stuttering
- NATIVE AMERICAN
- Salish: sutsuts
- Tlahoose: ha'ak'ok
- Chocktaw: isunash illi
- Dakota: eye-hda-sna-sna
- Cherokee: a-da-nv-te-hi-lo-squi
- Nanaimo: skeykulskwels
- Haida: kilekwigu'ung
- Asage: the'-ce u-ba-ci-ge
- Eskimo: iptogetok
- Acoma people, New Mexico (Keresan language): tunu tunu kadz'i
- Cuba: a person who stutters is called "Gago."
PACIFIC
- Fiji: kaka
- Hawaiian: uu uus
- Mau Mau: kuhindahinda
Flags courtesy of ITA's
Flags of All Countries used with permission.
last modified December 28, 2004