Lord of the Dance
Irish accent helps stop New Zealand man’s lifelong stutter
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Irish accent helps stop New Zealand man’s lifelong stutter

A NEW ZEALAND man has found a way to combat his lifelong stutter – by speaking in an Irish accent.

Nick Prosser, 28, made the discovery after trying out different accents with a work colleague as a joke.

He said he was amazed such a simple technique had stopped his stutter after years of visiting speech therapists and doctors, he told the Rotorua Daily Post.

“I tried [the accent] and then next thing we are having a long conversation with no stuttering,” he told the paper.

Prosser is of Irish ancestry but has never been to Ireland, however he encouraged others to try the technique.

A speech therapist told the Post that while singing is known to help stuttering, it was the first time she had heard of an accent aiding speech.

However she warned only time would tell if the technique was sustainable.

In February, it was reported that an American woman would wake up speaking in an Irish accent after going to bed with a headache.