Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with stuttering

How to speak with someone who stutters

HotPatatta — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:35:10 -0800

What's the proper etiquette when you're speaking to someone with a stutter? Do you stutter? What are you thinking as it's happening? I have a student with a stutter. When the word he's struggling to spit out is obvious, do I pretend he's not stuttering and just look him patiently in the eye and wait for it to come out? Would he feel offended or relieved if I finish the word for him?

Do you stutter? What does it feel like when you're trying to say a word but can't quite get it out in one piece? Can you see the word in your mind's eye but it just won't come out or does the word look fuzzy?

Why is my Subaru stuttering after a fillup?

delfuego — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:13:32 -0800

Does anyone have any ideas about why my 2003 Subaru Outback stutters on acceleration for the ten or fifteen minutes after I fill it up with gas? For the past few months, I've noticed that in the short period after I fill up my car with gas, it stutters on acceleration -- not terribly, and not so much that I feel like I'm in danger of stalling, but definitely a noticeable stuttering that wasn't there before. Like I said, this only ever happens for the ten or fifteen minutes after I fill up, and then never again until the next fill-up. I don't have any stuttering or idling problems in the cold, immediately after starting my car normally, or any of that; my check engine light isn't on (and doesn't come on during these periods), my gas cap is nice and tight, and I was last serviced about 6K miles ago.

A few details: the car is a 2003 Subaru Outback Limited Edition with a manual transmission, I fill it up with 87 octane gas (as I always have), no major driving pattern changes in a few years. The car has less than 50K miles on it to date.

I'm not the most trusting person when it comes to my local Subaru dealer (long story), so I was looking for a little advice as to what might be causing the problem before I bring it into someone to take a look. Any auto mechanics out there who have a few ideas to toss into the ring?

Is stuttering more common in some languages than others?

IndigoJones — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 04:25:20 -0800

Is stuttering more common in some languages than in others? If singing is supposed to suppress it (true?), does that mean tonal languages (e.g. Chinese) do not suffer the phenom? Indeed, are there any languages in which it does not appear at all? If so, any theories why?