Why do we say "um"?
May 9, 2006 5:30 PM Subscribe
When we hesitate when we speak, the most often heard sound is "um". Why is this? Is it learned? Mechanical? Is it the same in other languages?
I just read an article on this exact topic that I can't find now. To summarize, the answers are: to keep attention, the exact syllable is learned, but the technique is likely hardwired, and it's different in different languages.
On preview: oh good, Espy found it.
posted by scottreynen at 5:40 PM on May 9, 2006
On preview: oh good, Espy found it.
posted by scottreynen at 5:40 PM on May 9, 2006
Excellent article; thanks, Espy.
posted by languagehat at 5:45 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by languagehat at 5:45 PM on May 9, 2006
Response by poster: Thanks Espy Gillespie. It doesn't answer the question though. It's not very detailed. If 'um' has a neutral sound, as 'er' or 'ah', why do we go the extra distance to form a consonant 'm' at the end of it? Dr Stephen Juan raises some psychological interaction issues but that also drifts away from the central question. Are there any linguists about?
post preview: I espy one. So this is basically not known at all then?
posted by peacay at 5:48 PM on May 9, 2006
post preview: I espy one. So this is basically not known at all then?
posted by peacay at 5:48 PM on May 9, 2006
I'm a speech therapist, and I have a guess regarding the reason why you have the "m" consonant at the end of "um" instead of another sound...that "m" sound is the natural sound you make when you close your mouth but still have your voice turned on. So if you get stuck for a word and then close your mouth to think for a moment, the resulting sound would be "um."
posted by christinetheslp at 6:00 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by christinetheslp at 6:00 PM on May 9, 2006
christinetheslp has it: m is the easiest sound to make. That's why so many words for 'mother' use it (though in Georgian, mama means 'father'—go figure).
posted by languagehat at 6:06 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by languagehat at 6:06 PM on May 9, 2006
I don't think I have ever heard a Frenchman say "umm". They are more likely to say "errrrr" or blow air outwards with a slight "pfff" sound when they are pausing in thought.
posted by zaebiz at 6:11 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by zaebiz at 6:11 PM on May 9, 2006
In Israel (hebrew), they say 'eyyyy'. Sort of like a drawn out 'hey' without the h.
posted by dhruva at 6:12 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by dhruva at 6:12 PM on May 9, 2006
In Japanese, they say "ano..." or "eeto....". I've actually heard Japanese people stick these into English conversation.
posted by borkingchikapa at 6:25 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by borkingchikapa at 6:25 PM on May 9, 2006
I wouldn't call the 'm' in 'um' an extra consonant, either. It's just closing your mouth (putting your lips together) at the end of the sound. It is similar to 'n' （ん）or 'uun' (うーん) in Japanese.
Another Japanese one is 'eeeeto' (えーと), which has the extra syllable at the end to clearly differentiate the common 'eh' sound from other meanings.
< extraneous info>
e? = Huh? / What? / Say that again?
ee. = Oh really. / I see.
ee! = No way! Are you serious? / Wow.
ee?! = WHAT? / Are you crazy?
< /extraneous info>
In summary, it's an easy-to-make, neutral sound that's common to a particular language, that isn't too similar to other sounds that signify other meanings.
posted by QueSeraSera at 6:28 PM on May 9, 2006
Another Japanese one is 'eeeeto' (えーと), which has the extra syllable at the end to clearly differentiate the common 'eh' sound from other meanings.
< extraneous info>
e? = Huh? / What? / Say that again?
ee. = Oh really. / I see.
ee! = No way! Are you serious? / Wow.
ee?! = WHAT? / Are you crazy?
< /extraneous info>
In summary, it's an easy-to-make, neutral sound that's common to a particular language, that isn't too similar to other sounds that signify other meanings.
posted by QueSeraSera at 6:28 PM on May 9, 2006
In Spanish, it's este. Uttering that progression of phonemes isn't exactly the most phonetically neutral thing to do, so I'm not sure how much that hypothesis holds up cross-linguistically.
A tip-of-the-tongue example:
English: You call that a, uh..., whatever.
Spanish: Eso se llama un, este..., lo que sea.
Incidentally, este also means "this", like Mandarin's zhege.
Finally, what the hell is the last paragraph in the article Espy pointed out going on about?
posted by pealco at 6:49 PM on May 9, 2006
A tip-of-the-tongue example:
English: You call that a, uh..., whatever.
Spanish: Eso se llama un, este..., lo que sea.
Incidentally, este also means "this", like Mandarin's zhege.
Finally, what the hell is the last paragraph in the article Espy pointed out going on about?
posted by pealco at 6:49 PM on May 9, 2006
My boss does the "zhege" thing all the time. Now I know what it means! Thanks all.
posted by bonehead at 6:57 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by bonehead at 6:57 PM on May 9, 2006
pealco: what the hell is the last paragraph in the article Espy pointed out going on about?
The last paragraph is basically rubbish - I suggest you ignore it. The rest of the article is pretty good.
posted by nomis at 7:12 PM on May 9, 2006
The last paragraph is basically rubbish - I suggest you ignore it. The rest of the article is pretty good.
posted by nomis at 7:12 PM on May 9, 2006
There are more verbal, less onomatapoeic examples of the same thing. In an interview last night I watched actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes begin a sentence, "I mean, you know, I mean..."
posted by Hogshead at 7:24 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by Hogshead at 7:24 PM on May 9, 2006
This doesn't do much to answer why it's the "uh" sound in particular we use, but it may help get at some aspects of your "Why is this? Is it learned?" questions.
Exerpted from this ABC news article:
People use these phrases in a very particular, deliberate way. If we anticipate a delay in our speech, we choose the appropriate sound to signal this to the listener. These phrases mean 'I need to make sure you realize I'm delaying because I'm having trouble.'"
Phrases like "um" and "uh" and "you know" play an important role in language, he argues, by serving as a speaker's "conversation managers" in the human interaction aspect of conversation.
Clark and Fox Tree are working to change that tide by proving these phrases play specific roles in conversation. Their analyses show that the "um" sound almost always sets up a long delay in speech, while the sound "uh" signals only a brief pause.
There's also an abstract from Fox Tree's study here.
posted by irregardless at 7:31 PM on May 9, 2006
Exerpted from this ABC news article:
People use these phrases in a very particular, deliberate way. If we anticipate a delay in our speech, we choose the appropriate sound to signal this to the listener. These phrases mean 'I need to make sure you realize I'm delaying because I'm having trouble.'"
Phrases like "um" and "uh" and "you know" play an important role in language, he argues, by serving as a speaker's "conversation managers" in the human interaction aspect of conversation.
Clark and Fox Tree are working to change that tide by proving these phrases play specific roles in conversation. Their analyses show that the "um" sound almost always sets up a long delay in speech, while the sound "uh" signals only a brief pause.
There's also an abstract from Fox Tree's study here.
posted by irregardless at 7:31 PM on May 9, 2006
When I learned French (from a teacher who studied in Southern France), I was taught that they say "eu" (which I have also heard in recordings of people with French accents...
posted by muddgirl at 7:42 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by muddgirl at 7:42 PM on May 9, 2006
The French noise is more like u-umlaut. In one of the few French classes I attended we watched a video that (in part) featured a long sequence of Frenchpersons each going "uuu". Hilarious.
I knew some Swiss who found it equally hilarious that, as an American, I would actually say "um" in the middle of a sentence, without having to carefully self-consciously insert it.
Just to chime in: it is not the same in other languages.
posted by Aknaton at 7:44 PM on May 9, 2006
I knew some Swiss who found it equally hilarious that, as an American, I would actually say "um" in the middle of a sentence, without having to carefully self-consciously insert it.
Just to chime in: it is not the same in other languages.
posted by Aknaton at 7:44 PM on May 9, 2006
Norwegians make an funny sound by inhaling that sounds a bit like yes. I love this.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:51 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 7:51 PM on May 9, 2006
In Corean it's 그 , which is a sort of "koo" with a shorter vowell sound, sort of like "book" backwards minus the b. Oh and the "k" merges into hard-g territory.
Although whenever Coreans show someone pretending to speak better English than they really do (a common theme on sitcoms & comedy movies here) they do a very stylized "umm" that I think is hilarious.
Scene from a recent movie, boss trying to test employee's English skill:
"What's taxi in English?" (in Corean it's "taekshi", so just coreanized)
"ummm...ummm....paycar!"
The employee went on to say that he was speaking British style English, hehe, thus fooling his boss.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:54 PM on May 9, 2006
Although whenever Coreans show someone pretending to speak better English than they really do (a common theme on sitcoms & comedy movies here) they do a very stylized "umm" that I think is hilarious.
Scene from a recent movie, boss trying to test employee's English skill:
"What's taxi in English?" (in Corean it's "taekshi", so just coreanized)
"ummm...ummm....paycar!"
The employee went on to say that he was speaking British style English, hehe, thus fooling his boss.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:54 PM on May 9, 2006
from Espy's link:
Sounds always mean something, or they don't. A lot of people never learn the difference.
This struck me as funny. I know that excessive uses of fillers is annoying in any language, but we all know what they are, and realize that they are not words like nouns, adverbs, pronouns, et cetera.
But is it even possible to speak without fillers at all. YOu can on stage or over the radio, but what about in real life?
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 8:04 PM on May 9, 2006
Sounds always mean something, or they don't. A lot of people never learn the difference.
This struck me as funny. I know that excessive uses of fillers is annoying in any language, but we all know what they are, and realize that they are not words like nouns, adverbs, pronouns, et cetera.
But is it even possible to speak without fillers at all. YOu can on stage or over the radio, but what about in real life?
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 8:04 PM on May 9, 2006
Response by poster: gesamtkunstwerk, often was the occasion at school when a teacher would have a public speaking 'test'. You were given a topic and had to speak for 2 mins or whatever in front of the class. But you had to sit down when/if you said 'um'. Sooooo many never got to say a word!
It's sometimes a 'thinking' sound and maybe a ruse to indicate you have something to contribute and also an indicator of nervousness at times.
I understand the part about the 'm' sound - easy to make from closing the mouth. It still seems a little incongruous when I consider the 'err' (I think the most ubiquitous sound in english no? As in the sound in 'The') - as to why we generally both 1. don't use it as often as 'um' and 2. we don't generally close our mouth and form 'errm'.
I'm getting the feeling that it's a combo of learned and mechanical --- being socialized into using a filler sound and then it becomes 2nd nature in many situations; and that the sound is most likely an often used and easy utterance from our respective mother tongues.
posted by peacay at 8:33 PM on May 9, 2006
It's sometimes a 'thinking' sound and maybe a ruse to indicate you have something to contribute and also an indicator of nervousness at times.
I understand the part about the 'm' sound - easy to make from closing the mouth. It still seems a little incongruous when I consider the 'err' (I think the most ubiquitous sound in english no? As in the sound in 'The') - as to why we generally both 1. don't use it as often as 'um' and 2. we don't generally close our mouth and form 'errm'.
I'm getting the feeling that it's a combo of learned and mechanical --- being socialized into using a filler sound and then it becomes 2nd nature in many situations; and that the sound is most likely an often used and easy utterance from our respective mother tongues.
posted by peacay at 8:33 PM on May 9, 2006
But is it even possible to speak without fillers at all. YOu can on stage or over the radio, but what about in real life?
I tend to think a lot before talking, and so I use very few fillers. I suspect there are some extreme introverts who use none.
posted by scottreynen at 8:34 PM on May 9, 2006
I tend to think a lot before talking, and so I use very few fillers. I suspect there are some extreme introverts who use none.
posted by scottreynen at 8:34 PM on May 9, 2006
pealco, it isn't always "este" for Spanish-speakers, though, is it? I'm curious because I don't think I heard that very much if at all when I lived in Spain (I always heard/used "pues"), but now that I'm in Argentina, I hear "este" all the time. It took some getting used to. But maybe my memory is being selective and I'm just noticing the "este" more now.
posted by veggieboy at 8:37 PM on May 9, 2006
posted by veggieboy at 8:37 PM on May 9, 2006
My wife says "negeh" a lot when she's speaking Mandarin. Means that or that one - similar to what pealco mentioned.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:31 AM on May 10, 2006
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:31 AM on May 10, 2006
When speaking Spanish and pausing for thought, most people I know say, ehhh. (North of Spain FYI)
Pues vamos a ver, ehh, Juan quiere, ehh, un rotulador.... pero.... etc., etc.,
In German they try to avoid such sounds as it is considered uncouth, lacking in precision. But remember this is the language where you have to decide the verb that ends your sentance before you begin the sentance! (remember the famous Mark Twain and the interpreter story?) So when I hear it in German the sound is more of an Ahhh (again North). "Was haben wir hier denn, ein, ahhh, ein, was ist das ..."
Part of this is to do with the sentance construction and English is a very flexible language that allows you to change mid-flight as it were so I would expect to see this more in English than in the other languages I speak.
posted by Wilder at 4:40 AM on May 10, 2006
Pues vamos a ver, ehh, Juan quiere, ehh, un rotulador.... pero.... etc., etc.,
In German they try to avoid such sounds as it is considered uncouth, lacking in precision. But remember this is the language where you have to decide the verb that ends your sentance before you begin the sentance! (remember the famous Mark Twain and the interpreter story?) So when I hear it in German the sound is more of an Ahhh (again North). "Was haben wir hier denn, ein, ahhh, ein, was ist das ..."
Part of this is to do with the sentance construction and English is a very flexible language that allows you to change mid-flight as it were so I would expect to see this more in English than in the other languages I speak.
posted by Wilder at 4:40 AM on May 10, 2006
I don't think I heard that very much if at all when I lived in Spain (I always heard/used "pues"), but now that I'm in Argentina, I hear "este" all the time.
The regional varieties of Spanish are quite different; having lived in Argentina, I think of este as "the Spanish filler," but it doesn't surprise me that it's not universal. I presume you've learned by now not to use coger or call a girl Concha; I hope you've tried the pizza, which is the best in the world!
posted by languagehat at 5:41 AM on May 10, 2006
The regional varieties of Spanish are quite different; having lived in Argentina, I think of este as "the Spanish filler," but it doesn't surprise me that it's not universal. I presume you've learned by now not to use coger or call a girl Concha; I hope you've tried the pizza, which is the best in the world!
posted by languagehat at 5:41 AM on May 10, 2006
These disfluencies are actually useful for people. See Fox Tree's work at the Univeristy of Santa Cruz (link)
posted by bluesky43 at 5:44 AM on May 10, 2006
posted by bluesky43 at 5:44 AM on May 10, 2006
In Icelandic, the word used in conversational pauses is "herna" (pronounced something like "hitna") which means "here." You get a lot of "And then, here, there was this, here, thing."
This has nothing to do with anything, I just feel special when I can show off my feeble grasp of the language.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:53 AM on May 10, 2006
This has nothing to do with anything, I just feel special when I can show off my feeble grasp of the language.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:53 AM on May 10, 2006
Wilder, yes, I can hear "ehh" in my head, too, if I think back. (Well, really, I guess it's just "e," right?). I think "pues" and "eh" are both fillers, but perhaps with slightly different functions, which your sentence indicates -- I might use "pues" if I'm looking to start a whole sentence or phrase. And "eh" if I'm looking for a particular word.
Believe me, I could make a long, long list of the differences (Spanish in Spain vs. Argentina) at this point, languagehat! It fascinates me. I've scrubbed myself clean of the most obvious and possibly offensive markers of my peninsular Spanish, but even so most people to whom I speak more than one sentence realize my Spanish is from Spain. Having said that, the longer I'm here, the more I catch myself involuntarily Argentinizing my Spanish, viste? It's not the end of the world, it's just funny. No worries, I've eaten a LOT of pizza. And ice cream.
posted by veggieboy at 6:53 AM on May 10, 2006
Believe me, I could make a long, long list of the differences (Spanish in Spain vs. Argentina) at this point, languagehat! It fascinates me. I've scrubbed myself clean of the most obvious and possibly offensive markers of my peninsular Spanish, but even so most people to whom I speak more than one sentence realize my Spanish is from Spain. Having said that, the longer I'm here, the more I catch myself involuntarily Argentinizing my Spanish, viste? It's not the end of the world, it's just funny. No worries, I've eaten a LOT of pizza. And ice cream.
posted by veggieboy at 6:53 AM on May 10, 2006
My Irish relatives say "em" instead of "um", especially the girls, which is charming. I'm going to vote for it being a "conversational carrier tone" meaning "don't start talking, I'm in the middle here..."
I think an m sound might be easiest to make naturally, but the fact that some languages use other sounds indicates it's cultural. I know I say, "um" and "uh" and crudely, often "fuckin'... fuckin'... you know...", but I'm a swine.
I would love to know when it because common in English to say "um" or if it has always been with us.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:30 AM on May 10, 2006
I think an m sound might be easiest to make naturally, but the fact that some languages use other sounds indicates it's cultural. I know I say, "um" and "uh" and crudely, often "fuckin'... fuckin'... you know...", but I'm a swine.
I would love to know when it because common in English to say "um" or if it has always been with us.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:30 AM on May 10, 2006
When I was hanging out in college with friends who took Japanese, "ano" (often a drawn-out "anouuu") popped up in our mutual conversations pretty frequently. (We also used "ne" a bit.) It's the only language where I ever learned a pause marker in class, come to think of it.
posted by graymouser at 8:16 AM on May 10, 2006
posted by graymouser at 8:16 AM on May 10, 2006
It'a an "eee" in Swahili/Kikamba.
There are more verbal, less onomatapoeic examples of the same thing. In an interview last night I watched actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes begin a sentence, "I mean, you know, I mean..."
I think each is a specifis form of filler, um and uh being filled pauses and I mean and the like being discourse markers.
posted by youarenothere at 8:40 AM on May 10, 2006
There are more verbal, less onomatapoeic examples of the same thing. In an interview last night I watched actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes begin a sentence, "I mean, you know, I mean..."
I think each is a specifis form of filler, um and uh being filled pauses and I mean and the like being discourse markers.
posted by youarenothere at 8:40 AM on May 10, 2006
In Estonian it's "Noh" with a heavy 'h' at the end, almost "Noch".
Unfortunately I occasionally now use this when attempting to talk Spanish, which is not helpful.
posted by penguin pie at 8:42 AM on May 10, 2006
Unfortunately I occasionally now use this when attempting to talk Spanish, which is not helpful.
posted by penguin pie at 8:42 AM on May 10, 2006
In Bermuda, some people actually say "Um Um". It is hillarious .
posted by jasondigitized at 9:11 AM on May 10, 2006
posted by jasondigitized at 9:11 AM on May 10, 2006
In Contrast to Wilder I have the impression that most if not all Germans tend to make an 'um' sound when they're hesitating. Of course there are other sound, but I would say that um is the most prominent one.
posted by Glow Bucket at 3:20 AM on May 11, 2006
posted by Glow Bucket at 3:20 AM on May 11, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
*heh*
Actually, I know something: it's not exactly the same in all languages. My Russian colleague consistently says "eh" (sounds like "ay", not like "uh") instead of "um" and I read somewhere that that's a Russian thing...? (Any Russians here to confirm that?)
posted by easternblot at 5:38 PM on May 9, 2006