After a survey of the diverse psychiatric theories on stuttering, the author discusses her own conclusions based on fifteen cases. 'The maternal neurotic attitude in the early eating-speaking situation' is considered of paramount importance. However, 'into this early situation there are crowded several developmental phases, namely, change to solid food and self-feeding, walking, sentence formation, initiating of hand-preference and elimination control'. Anxiety and hostility expressed in oral fantasies are also prominent. A typical case is presented extensively. No mention is made of anal material as an etiological factor though most of the psychoanalytic papers on this subject have stressed the hidden anal-erotic meaning of the symptom.