[ Previous ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
Effects
of a Metronome on the Filled Pauses of Fluent Speakers
|
Nicholas Christenfeld
|
|
| Abstract |
| Filled pauses (the "ums" and
"uhs" that litter spontaneous speech) seem to be a product of the speaker paying
deliberate attention to the normally automatic act of talking. This is the same sort
of explanation that has been offered for stuttering. In this paper we explore
whether a manipulation that has long been known to decrease stuttering, synchronizing
speech to the beats of a metronome, will then also decrease filled pauses. Two
experiments indicate that a metronome has a dramatic effect on the production of filled
pauses. This effect is not due to any simplification or slowing of the speech and
supports the view that a metronome causes speakers to attend more to how they are talking
and less to what they are saying. It also lends support to the connection between
stutters and filled pauses. |
|
|
| Christenfeld,
N. 1996 Effects of a Metronome on the Filled Pauses of Fluent Speakers. In Journal
of Speech & Hearing Research 39/6: 1232-1238. |
Key points relevant to the study of filled pauses
Comments
[ Previous ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
Note! This is the original FPRC ca. 1998. It is made available for archival purposes only. Click here to return to the current FPRC.
