Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak? - Lorenzo García-Amaya — Transcript

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1. 0:06For as long as we’ve had language, some people have tried to control it.
2. 0:11And some of the most frequent targets of this communication regulation
3. 0:15are the ums, ers, and likes that pepper our conversations.
4. 0:19Ancient Greek and Latin texts warned against speaking with hesitation,
5. 0:24modern schools have tried to ban the offending terms,
6. 0:27and renowned linguist Noam Chomsky dismissed these expressions as “errors”
7. 0:33irrelevant to language.
8. 0:34Historically, these speech components had been lumped
9. 0:37into the broader bucket of “disfluencies”—
10. 0:41linguistic fillers which distract from useful speech.
11. 0:45However, none of this controversy has made these so-called disfluencies less common.
12. 0:50They continue to occur roughly 2 to 3 times per minute in natural speech.
13. 0:55And different versions of them can be found in almost every language,
14. 0:59including sign language.
15. 1:01So are ums and uhs just a habit we can’t break?
16. 1:05Or is there more to them than meets the ear?
17. 1:10To answer this question, it helps to compare these speech components
18. 1:13to other words we use in everyday life.
19. 1:16While a written word might have multiple definitions,
20. 1:19we can usually determine its intended meaning through context.
21. 1:23In speech however, a word can take on additional layers of meaning.
22. 1:28Tone of voice, the relationship between speakers,
23. 1:32and expectations of where a conversation will go
24. 1:35can imbue even words that seem like filler with vital information.
25. 1:40This is where “um” and “uh” come in.
26. 1:43Or “eh” and “ehm,” “tutoa” and “öö,” “eto” and “ano.”
27. 1:49Linguists call these filled pauses, which are a kind of hesitation phenomenon.
28. 1:56And these seemingly insignificant interruptions
29. 1:59are actually quite meaningful in spoken communication.
30. 2:03For example, while a silent pause might be interpreted
31. 2:06as a sign for others to start speaking,
32. 2:09a filled pause can signal that you’re not finished yet.
33. 2:13Hesitation phenomena can buy time for your speech to catch up with your thoughts,
34. 2:18or to fish out the right word for a situation.
35. 2:23And they don’t just benefit the speaker—
36. 2:26a filled pause lets your listeners know an important word is on the way.
37. 2:31Linguists have even found that people are more likely
38. 2:34to remember a word if it comes after a hesitation.
39. 2:40Hesitation phenomena aren’t the only parts of speech
40. 2:43that take on new meaning during dialogue.
41. 2:46Words and phrases such as “like,” “well” or “you know”
42. 2:49function as discourse markers,
43. 2:52ignoring their literal meaning to convey something about the sentence
44. 2:56in which they appear.
45. 2:58Discourse markers direct the flow of conversation,
46. 3:01and some studies suggest that conscientious speakers
47. 3:04use more of these phrases to ensure everyone is being heard and understood.
48. 3:10For example, starting a sentence with “Look...”
49. 3:13can indicate your attitude and help you gauge the listener’s agreement.
50. 3:18“I mean” can signal that you’re about to elaborate on something.
51. 3:21And the dreaded “like” can perform many functions,
52. 3:25such as establishing a loose connection between thoughts,
53. 3:28or introducing someone else's words or actions.
54. 3:32These markers give people a real-time view into your thought process
55. 3:37and help listeners follow, interpret, and predict what you’re trying to say.
56. 3:42Discourse markers and hesitation phenomena
57. 3:44aren’t just useful for understanding language—
58. 3:47they help us learn it too.
59. 3:49In 2011, a study showed toddlers common and uncommon objects
60. 3:55alongside a recording referring to one of the items.
61. 3:59When a later recording asked them to identify the uncommon object,
62. 4:03toddlers performed better if that instruction contained a filled pause.
63. 4:09This may mean that filled pauses cue toddlers to expect novel words,
64. 4:15and help them connect new words to new objects.
65. 4:20For adolescents and adults learning a second language,
66. 4:23filled pauses smooth out awkward early conversations.
67. 4:28And once they’re more confident,
68. 4:29the second-language learner can signal their newfound fluency
69. 4:34by using the appropriate hesitation phenomenon.
70. 4:37Because, contrary to popular belief,
71. 4:39the use of filled pauses doesn't decrease with mastery of a language.
72. 4:45Just because hesitation phenomena and discourse markers
73. 4:49are a natural part of communication doesn’t mean they’re always appropriate.
74. 4:53Outside of writing dialogue, they serve no purpose in most formal writing.
75. 4:58And in some contexts, the stigma these social cues carry
76. 5:02can work against the speaker.
77. 5:04But in most conversations, these seemingly senseless sounds
78. 5:09can convey a world of meaning.