Kiwi Nick Prosser accidentally discovered a cure for his stutter
Nick Prosser has found a novel way of subduing his lifelong stutter - he’s adopted an Irish accent.
The 28-year-old from New Zealand said he only happened upon the discovery, but he’s sure happy he did.
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Speaking with his local paper the Rotorua Daily Post, Prosser said: “I tried (the accent) and then next thing we are having a long conversation with no stuttering.”
"I was like 'Woah, you just helped me stop stuttering.’ I couldn't believe it. I had been to so many speech therapists and doctors and they never suggested this technique.”
Prosser, who has had a stutter his entire life, said the condition has had a negative impact on his confidence.
"They would all be having their conversation and I would be by myself just not saying anything because when I try to open a conversation it is a lot harder for me.”
“But now that I've come across speaking in my new voice it's made me a lot more confident."
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Prosser has never been to Ireland, but his mother is of Irish descent.
"If some people have Irish or Jamaican or French, they should try that and it might help them," he said.
While Prosser is delighted with his discovery, his speech specialist Annette Stock is more cautious in her excitement.
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“This is something that works for him and that's fine. But in six months time, if it is still working I would be saying 'wow, that's amazing',” Stock said.
She added, "We know as speech-language therapists that singing certainly helps with people that have stutters but you can't just go around singing in your everyday life."
Prosser’s barber Ant Haines was happy to see his friend no longer stuttering.
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"He is thinking of how he is going to pronounce it in an Irish accent [and] that stops him from stuttering.
"And I think if it is working then roll with it, who cares?" Haines said.
Can you do an Irish accent? Tell us in the comments!
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