Eingeschränkte Kommunikation in Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit: Stottern zwischen Wissensordnung und Lebenswelt

This dissertation examines communication disorders, particularly stuttering, in the European Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Drawing on recent approaches in disability studies, it analyzes philosophical, medical, and literary sources as well as extensive text corpora.

The focus is on society’s perception of those affected and the emotions and mechanisms of stigmatization associated with communication disorders. The dissertation thus contributes to historical research on communication and disability, including from a biographical perspective. It explores a field that has received little attention to date and thereby opens up new perspectives on the social significance of language and speech disorders in premodern societies.

Frank-Roman Müller started with the study of Business Science (University of Mannheim,1989) and a professional career. Then he studied History at Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, and achieved his B.A. in 2016, his M.A. in 2018. He finished his dissertation about the situation of people with communication disorders, especially stuttering, in the European Middle Ages and in the Early Modern Period in 2026.