Filled Pause Choice as a Sociolinguistic Variable

U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics

Author

Josef Fruehwald

Published

2016

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that filled pause selection (um/uh) is a sociolinguistic variable, conditioned by both internal and external factors. There appears to be a language change in progress towards selecting um more often than uh. In all respects, the (UHM) variable appears to pattern quantiatively just like all other sociolinguistic variables which have been examined, even though the locus of (UHM) variation would seem to be firmly in the speech planning domain. Combined with the quantitative systematicity of sociolinguistic variables across the full range of linguistic modules, I argue that the locus of variation may not be in the grammar, but rather constitutes a separate domain of knowledge, perhaps what Preston (2004) called the “sociocultural selection device.”

Citation

BibTeX citation:

@article{fruehwald2016,
  author = {Fruehwald, Josef},
  title = {Filled {Pause} {Choice} as a {Sociolinguistic} {Variable}},
  journal = {U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics},
  volume = {22},
  number = {2},
  pages = {41-49},
  date = {2016},
  url = {https://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol22/iss2/6/},
  langid = {en},
  abstract = {In this paper, I argue that filled pause selection (um/uh)
    is a sociolinguistic variable, conditioned by both internal and
    external factors. There appears to be a language change in progress
    towards selecting um more often than uh. In all respects, the (UHM)
    variable appears to pattern quantiatively just like all other
    sociolinguistic variables which have been examined, even though the
    locus of (UHM) variation would seem to be firmly in the speech
    planning domain. Combined with the quantitative systematicity of
    sociolinguistic variables across the full range of linguistic
    modules, I argue that the locus of variation may not be in the
    grammar, but rather constitutes a separate domain of knowledge,
    perhaps what Preston (2004) called the “sociocultural selection
    device.”}
}

For attribution, please cite this work as:

Fruehwald, Josef. 2016. “Filled Pause Choice as a Sociolinguistic Variable.” U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics 22 (2): 41–49. https://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol22/iss2/6/.