(no subject)

[magicicada]

quick check - is it insanity to introduce a stuttering character in a french dialogue exercise?

Comments

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

Well, I hate when the stuttering is used specifically for humor. Because, frankly, I don't find it funny. The worst example I can think of is the movie _My Cousin Vinny_. The main character hires a lawyer who seems fine when talking to them, but in the courtroom stutters incoherently. And the punchline of the joke is when the main character speaks up and says, "I want a new lawyer!"

Yes, I hate inaccurate descriptions and stereotypes.

The best example of a stuttering character is the recent movie _The Lady in the Water_. The main character of this movie is a stutterer. It's not a major plot point. Bits of the movie don't hinge on him being able to get a word out. He's just a stutterer. Sometimes he can say words. Sometimes he can't. That's how it works in real life.

So let me think of some tips...

Stutterers often have trouble saying their own name. We don't stutter when we sing. It's impossible. Consonants like k and b and p are often difficult to get past. But not all stutterers stutter on the same things. Stutterers will often develop tics or strange mannerisms to help them get past words. We usually hate when people finish words or sentences for us.

That's all the general stuff I can think of. Different people develop different coping mechanisms. Just imagine how you look at the world when you have difficulty communicating the simplest messages verbally.

Anyway, I didn't mean to be so down about this. I hope your duck suit skit goes very well. *smile*

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

I am grateful to have the resources of a subject matter expert :). I understand being bothered by stuttering used for humor. I am probably dipping more into pathos, but, well... I'm far from fluent and still have difficulties expressing finer grained concepts.

I have heard the tip about singing before. I actually had a coworker who would go into a singsong at times. It was obvious why he was doing it, and generally seen as a clever trick. The funny thing was, he was the farthest from shy that you could imagine.

I know I put in stuttering for 'p's. I also could not find a good way to stutter "Oui" but from what you are saying, I will not worry about that.

In the case of my character "le canard mysteriex" he has chosen to adapt by finding a job in which he doesn't need to talk. I.e. wearing a duck suit at a (probably) used car lot. I'm still working out some of the fine details.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

Oh, stuttering on "Oui" is quite possible! It would probably sound like "oo--oo--wa--oui." Or, sometimes, stuttering is silent, if you just can't get the first sound out at all. That's usually when you see tenseness or some kind of tic.

In college, I changed majors from english to computer science so I could email my professors instead of talk to them. So I can totally relate to The Mysterious Duck.