In the context of speech-language pathology, repetitions refers to a type of speech disfluency where a speaker involuntarily repeats sounds, syllables, or words. Repetitions are one of the primary features of stuttering (along with prolongations and blocks): for example, a person who stutters might say “b-b-b-ball” or repeat a single-syllable word like “and… and… and then” before completing a sentence. Such repetitions can vary in severity (from a single extra repetition to many rapid iterations) and often occur at the beginning of words or phrases; they reflect a momentary breakdown in the fluent forward flow of speech.
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