Feb 09 2007
Did I ever mention this?
I used to stutter quite a bit. Lately I've noticed it's coming back. The reason might be because recently I started to think about it again–how I used to stutter but don't anymore.
It's always been worse when I speak a foreign language. There's a timing to it, like waves on the beach. I have to be speak carefully, trying to ride the crest of the stutter wave instead of getting bowled over by it. It also depends on with whom I'm speaking.
I'm no longer embarrassed to admit I stutter, but I certainly don't like when it happens. Especially when I'm having a conversation with someone who isn't aware I have a problem. It was rough trying to hide it when when I was in my teens, but these days, the way I figure, anyone who'd hold it against me isn't someone I'd want to be around anyway.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
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10 Responses to “Did I ever mention this?”
when I was really young I used to stutter a bit, and every now and then I still do a little when I start getting stressed. I usually start talking faster when I'm stressed, and I found my way around it when it happened by just talking really slow and easy. I would imagine some totally out there hippy/surfer kind of accent and just time my voice to that kind of laid back easy tempo. Kind of like those sea turtles in Finding Nemo, lol. It helps by winding the stress back down, I suppose.
I don't like your blog anymore, Rich.
Just kidding.
Stuttering is a curious thing. I had never had a stutter, but when I was 21 & 22, in my senior year of college and the year after, I was in a town I had never liked and felt stuck in. I was bored with school and had a shitty job with only one acquaintance I thought could even read.
Around that time, I noticed an increasingly significant stutter developing, even when I was talking to myself in the car. It really worried me, getting to the point where I was trying to order a pizza, but couldn't do it. It was all I could do to force out a "sss-sss-sssorry," before hanging up.
About a year after I first noticed it, I moved to Tokyo and it disappeared. Since then, the only time it has come back was 3 1/2 years ago, when I came back after a long backpacking trip – unemployed, dumped, homeless, and broke. I started dropping things a lot and got some wicked insomnia, too, so I assume that, in my case, the stutter is induced by prolonged stress.
What sets it off for you? I'm curious because, not having grown up a "stutterer," I've never thought of myself as such, which makes it a deeply unsettling thing.
Stuttering? No big deal. What is a big deal is that you are podcasting again. I enjoy your shows and appreciate that you let us into your life a little bit.
Just thinking about it brings it on. Simply remembering that I used to have a problem. When I forget about it, it goes away. Maybe I'm under some stress now too, but talk about work is completely off-limits in this little world of blogging and podcasting. Which can be tough because it's how I spend most of my time.
It really, honestly, truly surprises me that anyone cares whether or not I podcast. I've never been able to wrap my head around that one. Not that I don't appreciate it, it's that I don't understand it, no matter how many times people explain it to me. When I record a podcast, I don't feel at all like I'm creating something of value to others. I feel guilty that they're not better.
I wish I understood it, because it's obvious that I'm the one not seeing things in the right light. It's like that scene in Clerks where everyone can see the schooner except Jay, and it's driving me nuts.
I used to stutter when I was a wee lad. I stopped around 10 years old I think. Now I'm in college, and had no problems with it studying Japanese (I still don't), but in my Chinese class it takes me forever to get through a sentence. It is the worst thing for a language class! I get great grades on the tests, but I can't blame the instructors for getting frustrated or marking me down. And the nervousness builds on itself.
Please, don't worry about the stutter. Hearing that you were able to overcome it really gives me hope. I get quite discouraged sometimes. THANKS!
That's exactly the reason why I wrote it. I was hoping it would help someone.
Glad to hear you podcasting again. I was listening to Josh in Japan and Kobe Beef, but I have not listened to those in several months now. As for the stuttering issue, there are a couple famous people who had issues with this as well. I'm not sure if you're aware of Bill Walton who is an NBA broadcaster. He' the one who comes to mind right now. Anyway, good luck to you and I hope to hear more podcasts in the future.
Wow, you stutter? I couldn't tell from you podcast. Im 29 years old and i've stuttered since i can remember. I vividly remember the first time i felt really embarrassed because of stuttering, and every once in a while i feel that way when i have blocks.
Ive had speech classes all through middle and high school, they taught me little tricks, but nothing really helped. The only way i can get around it is to substitute similar words on the fly for what i really want.. This method is good for building vocabulary, but it makes you sound like you don't know what the hell your talking about because of all the unnecessary pauses throughout a sentence..
HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET RID OF THIS STUTTERING?? Please, give me your ideas on how or why you stopped stuttering, because for me, i feel like i will stutter my whole life. "Its a splinter in my mind"
Three things. One, less stress and anxiety. Partially thanks to meds, which I don't like to talk about.
Second–and due to the first–I forgot about stuttering. I normally don't think about it, but when I do, I notice it tends to come back, particularly in Japanese.
Third, I don't talk much.