Phonetic complexity and stuttering in Arabic

Abstract

The current study investigated whether phonetic complexity affected stuttering rate in Jordanian Arabic speakers. Speakers were assigned to three age groups (6-11, 12-17 and 18+ years). An Arabic index of phonetic complexity (AIPC) was developed. Each word was given a score based on the number of complex phonetic properties out of a total of nine that it contained in the AIPC. The results showed that stuttering on function words for Jordanian Arabic did not correlate significantly with the AIPC score for any age group. The AIPC scores of content and function-content words correlated positively with stuttering rate for the 6-11 age group alone with the function-content words affecting fluency more severely than did the content words. The AIPC scores of stuttered function, content and stuttered function-content words were higher than those of fluent words. The non-stuttered words had lower AIPC scores than the stuttered corresponding classes. This showed that the higher the AIPC score on stuttered words, the greater the chance for these word categories to be stuttered. The AIPC factors that most affected fluency in Jordanian Arabic were place of articulation, manner of articulation, word length, word shape and consonant length. We conclude that Arabic is similar to other languages with regard to the loci of stuttering, their phonetic complexity and AIPC factors affecting stuttering most. The correlation between phonetic complexity and the order of the AIPC factors are different between Arabic and other languages.

Phonetic complexity of words immediately following utterance-initial productions in children who stutter

“…As previously noted, results from the studies that have employed the IPC indicate that phonetic complexity is associated with stuttered words in older children and adults but similar findings of significance have not been reported in children (Al-Tamimi et al, 2013: 6–11 years of age; Dworzynski & Howell, 2004: beyond 6 years of age; Howell et al, 2006: 11–18 years of age; Howell & Au-Yeung, 2007: beyond 6 years of age). Given that the IPC is based on infant–toddler speech development patterns, these findings are surprising as the fluent speech of younger speakers should presumably be more vulnerable to phonetic difficulty than older speakers.…”

“…However, as proposed by Buhr and Zebrowski (2009), data support the notion that moments of stuttering during early development – particularly at the utterance-initial position – appear to be more closely associated with planning utterance-level factors, such as utterance length, as opposed to word-level factors, such as grammatical class or phonetic complexity. Future studies are required to examine the role of these same utterance- and word-level factors over time, and at ages that more closely match the cohorts for which phonetic complexity (and grammatical classification) have been linked to overt moments of stuttering (e.g., Al-Timimi et al, 2013; Dworzynski & Howell, 2004; Howell & Au-Yeung, 2007; Howell et al, 2006). …”

“…The contribution of phonetic complexity to stuttered speech is central to Howell and colleagues’ EXPLAN model of stuttering (EX: execution, PLAN: planning). Researchers have explored the phonetic complexity of stuttered words in children and adults using a variety of assessment tools (e.g., Al-Timimi, Khamaiseh, & Howell, 2013; Coalson, Byrd, & Davis, 2012; Dworzynski & Howell, 2004; Howell & Au-Yeung, 1995, 2007; Howell, Au-Yeung, Yaruss, & Eldridge, 2006; Throneburg, Yairi, & Paden, 1994). Across these studies, a relationship between phonetic complexity and stuttering has been observed in older children and adults, but not in children younger than 6 years of age.…”

Phonetic complexity and stuttering in Turkish-speaking children who stutter

“…Subsequent work on EXPLAN has investigated Spanish (Howell & Au-Yeung, 2007), Japanese (Smith & Howell, 2013), Persian (Vahab, Zandiyan, Falahi & Howell, 2013) and Arabic (Al-Tamimi, Khamaiseh & Howell, 2013). The properties of Cs and Fs in these languages differ markedly from English.…”

The effect of phonetic complexity on the speed of single-word productions in adults who do and do not stutter

“…Howell & Dworzynski, 2005). Research has demonstrated a relationship for older children and adults who stutter (e.g., Al-Timimi, Khamaiseh, & Howell, 2013; Dworzynski & Howell, 2004; Howell & Au-Yeung, 2007; Howell et al, 2006) but not younger children who stutter (e.g., Coalson & Byrd, 2016; Coalson et al, 2012; Dworzynski & Howell, 2004; Howell & Au-Yeung, 1995; Logan & Conture, 1997; Throneburg et al, 1994). Bernstein Ratner (2005) has suggested that past findings of phonetic complexity as a significant contributor to stuttered speech, in the manner predicted by the EXPLAN model, is difficult to determine due to a number of confounding methodological and theoretical concerns.…”