A number of models of stuttering suggest that a problem with lexical retrie
val is fundamental to the disorder. Such models predict, then, that lexical
retrieval is a necessary condition for stuttering to occur. To investigate
this prediction, this study looked at the effects of having persons who st
utter speak in a way that does not involve lexical retrieval. If stuttering
is a lexical retrieval problem, then stuttering should not occur under suc
h conditions. In this study, three adults who stutter read aloud a standard
English passage and two passages consisting of non-words, which were match
ed for length and initial sound to the words in the English passage. Stutte
ring occurred in all three subjects at significant levels during the readin
g of the non-word passages. This finding is inconsistent with the idea that
stuttering is caused by a problem with lexical retrieval.