Definition:
In conversation analysis, a filler word (such as um) or a cue phrase (let's see) used to mark a hesitation in speech. An editing term often signals a repair.
See also:
Etymology:
Term introduced by Dutch psycholinguist Willem J. M. Levelt, author of Speaking: From Intention to Articulation (1989)Examples and Observations:
- Q: Women's football doesn't get much coverage in Britain compared to elsewhere. So precisely how famous are you in the US, where you play?
A: Um, well . . .
Q: Is it impossible for you to walk down the street without being mobbed by fans, paparazzi and on-lookers wondering what all the fuss is about?
A: Er, no, it's not at that level.
(Paul Doyle, interview with Eniola Aluko, "Small Talk." The Guardian, May 17, 2010) - "Um. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s uh, yeah, yeah it’s kind of, it’s uh--no. Well, it’s kind of sex but it’s not uh, you know? I don’t know. I don’t know."
(Gus Lindstrom in Lars and the Real Girl, 2007) - "This [editing term] appeared in Tiger Woods's response to a question about the origin of his personal discipline. He replied, 'I get that--you know, people think I get that from my dad." In [Willem J. M.] Levelt's parlance, 'uh' and 'um' are editing terms. "You know,' 'sort of,' 'rather,' 'well,' 'I mean,' and 'kind of' are, too. According to Levelt, these editing terms have several uses--after all, why not simply remain silent? A speaker may not want to be interrupted so he prefers to keep a pause filled with sound. He may also use the editing term as an opportunity to make his meaning more clear, or to comment on the mistake itself. In Levelt's sample of adult Dutch speakers, 42 percent of repairs had no editing term. When people repaired to make a message more appropriate, rather than to make the language more specific, they used 'uhs,' 'ums,' and other editing terms only 28 percent of the time. On the other hand, if a speaker repaired in order to correct a statement, 62 percent of the repairs used an editing term.
"In Levelt's data, 'uh' was the most frequent editing term, used in 30 percent of all repairs. The earlier that a speaker detected a problem, the more likely he or she was to use 'uh.' Though the theories about the meanings of 'uh' and 'um' vary widely, Levelt is content to say that the pause filler basically means 'I've temporarily forgotten X.'"
(Michael Erard, Um--Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean. Random House, 2007)
