How Many People Does It Take To Stutter?

It might sound like a cruel joke: “How many people does it take to stutter?” But behind that question lies a real issue. While the standard biomedical answer tends to be just one, Stuttering Commons suggests it always takes at least two people to stutter.

Consider a thought experiment: If a voice stutters in a forest with nobody there to hear it, did stuttering really occur? Many people would assume it did, because only one person would be making the stuttering sounds. Yet we suggest this misses what stuttering truly is. After all, stuttering is part of a communication process that needs both speaker and listener.

In an effort to make its knowledge about dysfluency studies more accessible, Stuttering Commons commissioned this animated short film. Aidan Sank from SPACE, a charity about stuttering, wrote the script with Joshua St Pierre from Stuttering Commons. It speaks to all ages and bridges the experiences of speaker and listener.

The character-led script was brought to life by animator Maya Remenyi, whose style of animation adds levity and humour. The visualisation of stammering was limited to just abstract shapes so the short film can work in as many languages as possible. So far, it has been translated into Japanese, French and Portuguese.