Keynote Address

Stuttering and Bilingualism: Questions, Answers and Evidence

John Van Borsel

Nowadays bilingualism appears to be the rule rather than the exception in many countries worldwide. As a consequence most clinicians have a fair chance of being confronted one day with bilingual individuals who stutter. Providing services to bilingual individuals who stutter entails some unique problems and questions, however, and research in this area is still scanty. This presentation will discuss and illustrate some of the major issues in stuttering and bilingualism. Answers and evidence will be reviewed with respect to such questions as: Is stuttering more prevalent in bilinguals than in monolinguals? Does stuttering always manifest in both languages? Can one make reliable and valid judgements about the presence and severity of stuttering in a language that is not one's own? Is closeness to the mother tongue a determining factor in judgements of stuttering in an unfamiliar language? Is it advisable to remove a second language in order to reduce dysfluency? Should treatment be given in both languages, or in one language? Research needs will be pointed out as well as some methodological problems. In addition a few suggestions for joint studies will be launched.