Phoneme Manner Types and Function and Content Words as Biomarkers for Different Types of Stutters in Speakers Who Continue to Stutter

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Phoneme Manner Types and Function and Content Words as Biomarkers for Different Types of Stutters in Speakers Who Continue to Stutter
Language: English
Authors: Peter Howell (ORCID 0000-0001-5361-5031), Jason Ka-Hei Au (ORCID 0009-0000-2384-7608), Liam Barrett
Source: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2026 61(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Stuttering, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Metabolism, Biology, Phonemes, Repetition, Vowels, Articulation (Speech)
DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.70195
ISSN: 1368-2822
1460-6984
Abstract: Background/Aims: This study addressed whether or not manner of phonemes at the onset of function and content words is linked to different types of stutter. Methods & Procedures: Sixty-six spontaneous speech samples from 22 participants (three recordings per participant) were employed. These were annotated with types of stutter (dependent variable), word type (function versus content). Phoneme manner at word onset was available in the transcriptions. The first analysis looked at associations between types of stutter and types of words. The second analysis looked at individual onset phoneme manner influences on types of stutter separately for function and content words. Both analyses employed multinomial logistic regression, obtained predictive probabilities and reported permutation tests to assess statistical significance, and robustness. A separate set of data was used to replicate the findings. Outcomes & Results: In analysis one, whole-word repetitions (WWRs) were predominantly associated with function words whereas the other types of stutter (prolongations, part-word repetitions, and word breaks, all of which mainly occur at word-onsets) were associated with content words. In analysis two WWRs on function words were mainly associated with vowel onsets. Prolongations, part-word repetitions and word breaks on content words were associated with several consonant manners at onset. The main patterns were that prolongations occurred with continuant manners (primarily fricatives) whereas part-word repetitions and breaks occurred mainly with obstruent manners (primarily voiceless plosives and affricates). Conclusions and implications: WWR happen mainly on function words whereas the other types of stutter occur on initial parts of content words. The analysis protocol used in analysis two (target-and-type-maps) provides a framework for analysis of stuttering in languages that do not have separate function words and for distinguishing conditions that have some similarities to stuttering (e.g. word-finding difficulties).
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1495151
Database: ERIC
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