Speech disfluency

A delay volume (also filling sound, fix sound, break sound, Engl. Hesitation vowel, hesitation sound) is a mostly monosyllabic, stretchable in length discourse particles in German usually uh, uh, or uh, between in spoken language to bridge a pause in speaking two words or speech units is employed.

Pause for thought for the speaker

Discourse particles fill pauses while the brain makes a choice of words, this brings in the right order, setting intonation and grammar.

Motor and respiratory function

The breathing of the people speaking ( or singing ), the so-called speech breathing, is very different from his breathing without articulation of speech sounds, the so-called tidal breathing. While the latter only the oxygen uptake and emission of CO2 is used, the speech breathing additionally fulfills the function of providing the space required for the articulation air flow, the so-called Phonationsstrom, wherein it is an expiratory air flow in the first place, since usually only the exhaled air is used for phonation ( " bellows function").

In the tidal breathing inhalation are ( inspiration) and exhalation ( expiration) approximately equal in length, while the ratio of inspiratory and expiratory shifts strongly in favor of the latter in the speech breathing. The change of the tidal breathing on the speech respiration takes place through a complex, both neuronal mainly controlled in the cerebral cortex as well as motor process in which changed the rhythm of breath and turned the involvement of motor control of the vocal cords in the larynx breathing air to one part in Phonationsstrom is.

The maintenance of the speech breathing depends on that speech content or " speech material " ready immediately. In order for intermittent lack of provision not constantly fall back into a resting breathing and always having to breathe again, with the possible consequence of a respiratory imbalance (eg hyperventilation syndrome), meet motor replacement routines using delay sounds ( Fülllauten or filler words ) The purpose for the speech breathing and thus serve to maintain a significant economization of the breathing process.

Communicative function

Delay sounds have no lexical meaning in the strict sense and are so far comparable with interjections, are in contrast to these but usually not used with a particular expression or function Apell. However, in addition to the purely motor and respiratory -related function of maintaining the speech breathing, you can get a certain communicative function: to maintain the linguistic contact the phone and see him, that the speaker still continue or replace a previous word by a more appropriate his statement will ( We go to the airport, uh, to the railway station ). This delay sounds are one of the mechanisms that are involved in the control of speaker change in conversation.

The boundary between embarrassment Loud and interjection is so far perfect, as well, hesitant as interjections for further expressive intentions can be used, for example, as an expression of distancing irony or of a doubt (that you travel with her, uh, wife? , I do not know, hm, should we really do? ). It then is not to delay the sound in the proper sense, unless the motor - respiratory cause is not given, but is only staged phonetically in order to achieve a certain effect expression.

Review of embarrassment sounds

Frequent and unmotivated appearing use of delay sounds individual as a feature speaker behavior is often interpreted as an indication of lack of concentration or even the existence of language disorders. The speech training and training for public appearances or sales calls are applied to the purchase of liquid speech, and thus the avoidance of delay sounds.

In pre-produced radio programs you usually cuts delay sounds out (ä - stopper ), the shorthand of speeches they are ignored. In the production of transcripts in social research, it depends on the methodological approach, whether embarrassment sounds are transcribed or omitted. In the written language they occur only as a stylistic feature sought orality.

Equivalents in other languages

Although the embarrassment sound does not have a lexicalized content, but it in different languages ​​in different phonetic shape occurs:

• English: he, erm, yer, ya, uh, uhm
• French: euh
• Japanese:えっと( etto )あの お( ANO )
• Swedish: hm

Humor

As is frequent or habitual use of embarrassment sounds interpreted as a sign of lack of preparation or lack of knowledge or seen as a personal quirk, the above drawing imitation such speech behavior is a popular means of parody of politicians and other celebrities (eg, Edmund Stoiber, Boris Becker ).