To stammer — or to have a stammer — is to speak haltingly and to have trouble getting the words out. A stammer is also called a "stutter."
- Pronuncation: /'stæmə/
- English Description: to speak with a lot of pauses and repeated sounds, either because you have a speech problem, or because you are nervous, excited etc
- Chinese Translation: n/v. 口吃(Kou3 Chi1), 结巴(Jie1 Ba)
- Spanish Translation: tartamudeo
- STORY: Stammering (or stuttering) has a couple of related meanings. A stammer is a serious problem for some people who have great difficulty speaking. They have trouble getting the words out, and their language does not flow. They might get stuck repeating one sound over and over again. This is a difficult problem to overcome. However, we all stammer sometimes, often because we're confused, scared, tired, or unsure of what to say.
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
- "The light, the light," she stammered, taking one last look over her shoulder--Los Angeles Times Feb 16, 2015
- “Hadn’t we better talk about it somewhere else?” he stammered, looking horribly uncomfortable--Brave New World