Aristotle on Stammering

Aristotle’s comments on stammering from Problemata (350 BC).

  1. Chapter x paragraph 40. Why is man the only creature that stammers? Is it because he also suffers alone from dumbness, and stammering is a form of dumbness? Only in the case of stammering the whole of his member is not affected. Or is it because man partakes more of rational speech, but other animals only possess voice? Stammering as the derivation of the word shows, is nothing except an inability to express oneself continuously.
  2. Chapter xi paragraph 30. Why are boys more inclined to stammer than men? Just as boys have always less control over their hands and feet, and those who are smaller still cannot even walk, so also are those who are young unable to control their tongue? If they are very small, they cannot even speak except in the way beasts do, because of their lack of control. This is not only true of the stammerer, but lisping and defective speakers are similar. Lisping is an inability to control a certain letter, not any letter, but defective speech consists of omitting some letter or syllable, while stammering is an inability to add quickly one syllable to another. But all these disabilities are due to a failure of power; for the tongue does not serve the intention. The drunken and old men suffer the same difficulty, but all these difficulties happen less to them (i.e. than to children).
  3. Chapter xi paragraph 35. Why cannot stammerers speak quietly? Is it because they are restrained in uttering words, because something hinders them? When the force required and the movement are not the same, when there is not obstruction and when there is, a violent effort is needed. Now the voice is a movement and those who use force speak in a louder voice. So that, since the obstruction must be violently overcome, stammerers must speak in a louder voice.
  4. Chapter xi paragraph 36. Why do the nervous tend to stammer more, and men under the influence of drink, less? Is it because the trouble is a kind of paralysis of one of the parts within, which they cannot move, the restraint being due to chilling? So wine which is naturally hot dissolves this chilling effect, but nervousness produced it; for nervousness is a kind of fear and fear is a chilling.
  5. Chapter xi paragraph 38. Why are stammerers melancholic? Is it because melancholy is due to following the imagination quickly, and this is a characteristic of stammerers? For the impulse to speak precedes the capacity to do so, as the mind is following the image too quickly. The same is true of those who lisp; for in their case these organs are too slow. There is evidence for this; for this is the characteristic of men when drunk that they follow their imaginations and not their intelligence.
  6. Chapter xi paragraph 54. Why do men stammer? Is the chilling of the part with which they speak responsible for it, which acts as a paralysis of that part? So when heated by wine and by continuous talking they connect their words more easily.
  7. Chapter xi paragraph 55. Why is man the only living creature which stammers? Is it because he alone has a share of speech, but the other animals only of voice? But stammerers produce voice but cannot connect their words.
  8. Chapter xi paragraph 60. Why do men stammer? Is it because they are too hurried owing to the heat, so that they stumble and hesitate, just as men do when they are angry? For these too are full of short breathing. So the breath which collects is considerable. Or do they pant because of the boiling of the heat, because it is considerable and cannot escape before the proper moment for breathing? Or on the contrary is it rather a chilling than a heating of the part with which they speak, like apoplexy on his part? So when heated by wine and continuous talking they more easily connect their words.

Aristotle on stuttering provided in his other books:

On things heard (De Audibilibus), p. 79. From "Minor Works of Aristotle", translated by W. H. Hett, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

With stammerers the trouble resides neither in the veins nor in the windpipe, but in the movement of the tongue. For they find it difficult to change its position, when it is necessary to make a different sound. Consequently they utter the same sound for a long time, not being able to make the next one, as the movement and the lung travel in the same direction owing to the quantity and force of the breath. For just as when men are running violently it is difficult to change the whole body from a movement in one direction to a movement in another, exactly the same thing happens in a single part of the body. For this reason they often cannot say the thing next in order, but they can pronounce what comes after it easily, when they have made a fresh start for the movement. This is clear; for the same thing often happens with men who are angry, because the pace at which their breath travels is violent.

From Wollock’s translation of the same passage:

With the stutterer (ischnophonos) the trouble resides neither in the veins (phlebas) nor in the arteries (arterias, including both what we call arteries, and the vocal artery or trachea), but in the movement of the tongue. For they find it difficult to change in position when it is necessary to make a different sound. Consequently they utter the same sound for a long time, being unable to make the next one, but [utter it] continually, as the movement and the lung travel in the same direction owing to the quantity and force of the breath. For just as when men are running violently it is difficult to change the whole body from a movement in one direction to a movement in another, exactly the same thing happens in a single part of the body. For this reason they often cannot say the thing next in order, but they can easily pronounce what comes after it, when they have made a fresh start for the movement. This is clear; for the same thing often happens with men who are angry, because the pace at which their breath travels is violent (Wollock, 1997, p. 276 from Aristotle, De Audibilibus (804b27-40)—“On things heard, from Minor Works of Aristotle, translated by W. S. Hett).

From Potter (1882), who depicts Aristotle’s view on stammering:

Stammering is the inability of articulating a certain letter, lisping is the omission of some letter or syllable, and stuttering is the inability of joining one syllable with another. All these arise from debility, for the tongue is not obedient to the will. (Cited in Potter, 1882)

Writings by Aristotle on stammering

Aristotle (1937). On things heard (De Audibilibus), p. 79. From: Minor works of Aristotle, translated by W. S. Hett, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Aristotle (350 BC/1927) Problemata. In W. D. Ross (trans.) The works of Aristotle. http://www.archive.org/stream/worksofaristotle07arisuoft/worksofaristotle07arisuoft_djvu.txt. Retrieved on February 27, 2010.

Writings about Aristotle’s views on stammering

Potter, S. O. L. (1882). Speech and its defects. Considered physiologically, pathologically, historically and remedially. Philadelphia, PA: P. Blakiston, Son & Co.

Wollock, J. (1997). The noblest animate motion. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Co.