Francine du Plessix Gray, who stuttered as a child, reflects on the affliction:
Many stutterers, such as Henry James and the late New York Times critic John Russell, have only been plagued in their native tongues; both men, who spoke excellent French, often switched to that language to calm their impediment. Others are exempted from their defect by attending to specific tasks, or by talking to particular audiences. Stammerers, for instance, speak fluently to animals and small children. They can read aloud to themselves without a stumble. They do not stutter when uttering profanities.
The Dish 