Introduction:
John Greenleaf Whittier’s poignant words, “Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been,” remind us of the profound impact that words hold in our lives. For those who stutter, words often become an adversary, making it challenging to express thoughts and emotions fluently. However, what if we could turn the tables and transform words into our allies? In this blog post, we explore the concept of the vocabulary asset as the third step in the journey to overcoming stuttering, shedding light on how expanding your vocabulary can become a powerful tool in your fight against stuttering.
A Lifelong Love for Words:
Lee G. Lovett, the author of “How to Stop Stuttering & Love Speaking,” shares his personal journey of discovering the transformative potential of words. Despite experiencing stuttering in his teens, Lee recognized the value of an extensive vocabulary in providing options to escape stuttering. Drawing inspiration from his family’s love for English literature and having been an English Lit/Political Science major himself, Lee embarked on a lifelong journey to improve his vocabulary. His weekly reading habit and curiosity for words led him to record every unfamiliar word he encountered. Over the years, this effort resulted in a substantial word list, which now comprises over 5,000 entries.
Lee’s passion for words extended to the realm of etymology, making him a self-taught lay etymologist. In a testament to the importance of vocabulary in his life, Lee published a book titled “WORDS You Need to Know and Facts You’re Embarrassed Not to Know.” The book includes his extensive word list, which is the most comprehensive on Amazon, with 1,500 more entries than the next most extensive vocabulary book. What sets Lee’s vocabulary book apart is its unique presentation of words in “families,” emphasizing synonyms, similar words and phrases, antonyms, roots, and word histories. This approach helps facilitate mastery of Crutch 2, which involves using synonyms, similar words, and phrases to escape stuttering.
The Impact of Vocabulary Expansion:
The decision to publish his word list was influenced by Lee’s fellow People Who Stutter (PWS) who recognized the value of broadening their vocabularies. Beyond assisting with stuttering, Lee’s vocabulary book offers a plethora of intriguing facts, making it both educational and entertaining. Several PWS have embarked on the journey of learning and mastering these words, benefiting from an expanded vocabulary that not only enhances their speech but also their written communication skills.
Expanding your vocabulary offers several significant advantages, making it a six-pronged winner in your anti-stuttering arsenal:
- Provides more words to substitute for feared words.
- Enhances your written communication skills.
- Elevates others’ perception of your intelligence.
- Contributes to maintaining a vibrant memory, potentially combating dementia.
- Transforms words into friends rather than enemies in your speech.
- Boosts your self-esteem, an essential element in holistic personal growth.
Practical Application of an Expanded Vocabulary:
Lee’s personal experience demonstrates the practical application of a robust vocabulary in daily life and speech. When preparing for a speech, he would write the entire speech and, next to the most likely stutter-prone words, include several synonyms in parentheses. During the actual speech, he referred to the written text and chose the word that felt easiest to say at that moment, effectively avoiding stuttering.
Words, just like people and countries, have their unique histories, continually evolving. They tell captivating stories and provide keys to names, biographies, and esoteric facts. While expanding your vocabulary may require more effort than other anti-stuttering methods, it yields significant benefits in terms of speech, intellect, others’ perceptions of you, and, most importantly, your perception of yourself.
Conclusion:
Broadening your vocabulary can be a game-changer in your journey to overcome stuttering. As you dedicate time and effort to expand your word bank, you’ll find that words become your allies, not your adversaries. This step not only aids in improving your speech fluency but also enhances your written communication skills, increases your perceived intelligence, preserves memory function, and boosts self-esteem. In the end, the Vocabulary Asset offers an array of benefits that can significantly improve your life. Embrace this powerful tool and add it to your growing arsenal of anti-stuttering resources. Your journey to fluent speech becomes all the more achievable when you unlock the potential of words.
