Reliability of judgments of stuttering-related variables: The effect of language familiarity.

Previous studies demonstrate mixed results and some methodological limitations regarding judges' ability to reliably assess stuttering-related variables in an unfamiliar language. The present study examined intra- and inter-rater reliability for percent syllables stuttered (%SS), stuttering severity (SEV), syllables per minute (SPM), and speech naturalness (NAT) when English-speaking judges viewed speech samples in English and in a language with which they had no or minimal familiarity (Spanish). Over two time periods, 21 judges viewed eight videos of four bilingual persons who stutter.