Assessment of Some Contemporary Theories of Stuttering That Apply to Spontaneous Speech

Abstract

In this article, a selection of theoretical approaches about stuttering is examined. One way of characterizing theories is in terms of whether the problem of stuttering arises at the linguistic or motor levels or in the interaction between the two. A second contrast between theories is in terms of whether they link production together with perception (linked theories, e.g., the covert repair hypothesis) or they consider that the production system works independent of perception (autonomous theories, e.g., EXPLAN). It is argued that many features of stuttering can be explained in an autonomous production model in which the problem arises at the point where linguistic and motor processes interact.

Figure 1

Levelt's model of the processes involved in speech production. Production is on the left and perception on the right.

Figure 2

Activation versus time for target, and competing, word candidates. Two selection points are shown, normal (S) and early (S−).

Figure 3

Diagrammatic representation of the temporal relationship between planning and execution for three words (n, n+1, n+2) when speech is proceeding fluently. Time is along the abscissa. The epoch during which planning (PLAN) and execution (EX) occur is shown as bars in the top and middle rows respectively. Planning of adjacent words is shown in series for simplicity.

Figure 4

Activation patterns for the three words in the test utterance each shown for the interval of time Tx to Ty. Ty is after execution of the second word and represents a situation that will lead to word repetition.

Figure 5

Activation patterns for the three words in the test utterance each shown for the interval of time Tx to Ty. Ty is after execution of the second word and represents a situation that will lead to part-word stuttering involving the onset of the third word.