Just a quick note . . . . . I have a good friend that I used to work with about two years ago. We keep in touch more now that we don't work together than when we saw each other every day at work. She was always very comfortable with my stuttering in the work place, and would ask me questions sometimes, like did my stuttering vary or increase according to certain circumstances.
I remember one time she commented to me (and prefaced it with, "no offense intended"), after being with you for a while, I notice that I stutter a little bit for a day or two afterwards. It also reminded me of when I myself have visited Southern states - Louisiana or Texas - that for a day or two afterwards, I find myself speaking with a bit of a southern drawl! What's up with that?
At first, I didn't know what to make of her mentioning that my stuttering was "rubbing off on her", but then I just laughed, because it was kind of funny. And I actually noticed her stutter a bit sometimes after hanging out with me.
What do you think? Do you think its possible that someone can "pick up"another's stuttering? Do you think a person who stutters might be offended by this? Or think they are being made fun of?
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You pose some very interesting questions, Pamm. I never thought it would be possible for someone to "pick up" another's stuttering before reading your post. However, I don't know what other factors could contribute to her stutter. I don't think in this case that she was making fun of you. On the other hand, I think it would be easy to be offended by a such a comment depending on the tone and nonverbals of the person and the existing relationship between the individuals.
ReplyDeleteYou pose an interesting suggestion... can someone "pick up" another's stutter? I suppose it is possible since, as it was pointed out, it is possible and common to pick up accents. It seems to me, however, that it is not probable that one could actually "pick up" a stutter simply after speaking with a person who stutters--of course I have no research to support my claim. I also find it interesting that your friend prefaced her comment with "no offense intended." Reflecting on this, I thought that perhaps your friend didn't want you to feel like she was suggesting that stuttering is something that can be turned on and off randomly and in turn lessen your feelings and attitudes toward your stutter and/or your experiences living with a stutter. Of course, she could have been continuing the negative outlook regarding stuttering that remains in today's society. The way you present your friend's comment on this post, however, makes me think that she wasn't trying to be rude; instead, maybe she was simply trying to make a comment and then seek your opinion because you have firsthand experience with stuttering and are well versed regarding the research in the field of stuttering. I hope that she wasn't intending to be rude to you, but I can certainly see how that preface to her comment could have been offensive. Thanks for sharing; this brought up ideas and questions that I had never considered before.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that this helped you consider some things in a different light. The more I reflect on my stuttering experiences, the more I realize that any one of my thoughts or ideas might offer insight to another person who stutters.
ReplyDeleteSo, I am glad I write regularly about my stuttering experiences.