Re: disfluencies/editing expressions

On 24 Aug, Michael Erard wrote:

> Dear Conlangers,
>
> I am a writer based in Austin, Texas, who is writing a popular book
> for Pantheon/Random House about "verbal blundering" -- speech slips
> and speech disfluencies. Since these are so prevalent in natural
> languages, I wonder if any of you have done any thinking about how
> these would work in your languages.
    Back in  December 2001 IIRC, a similar question was asked.
At that time, I stated essentially that my conlang, rtemmu,
would fill in the gaps during normal dysfluent moments with
/auzuv/. Since then, I haven't really thought about dysfunctional
speech in rtemmu. But, I would suppose that, for the type of dysfluency
where fillers are inserted into the stream of speech,
a rtemmu speaker would probably also use /auzuv/.
    The term is composed of /au/, the Imperative, and
/zuv/, the rate-of-change marker signifying objectively observed
change so slow that it is not readily noticible. The speaker's
intention is "Don't change anything! Especially speakers!
I continue to hold the floor and will resume talking as soon as I am ready".
    IME, there is a precedent for using more than a meaningless
syllable as a gap-filler. I have heard Israelis, being dysfluent in Hebrew,
filling gaps with, among other things, /ze/, which is the word for
"this"-masculine-singular. I have even heard /ve  ze/, meaning
"and this". (Interestingly, I have never heard, in this context,
the feminine or plural!)
    I have also never gotten around to the role of gesture in spoken
rtemmu (although it sounds like an interesting avenue to pursue
some day!), but I _have_  noticed, in Hebrew speakers,
what seems to be a stuttered _gestural_ filler!
Israelis will put the thumb against the first two fingers,
hold them up and move them slightly away from the speaker
as a gestural-filler/request for thinking time. But if the speaker's
thoughts are not getting organized fast enough, the gesture may turn
into a "stutter", as he repeatedly waves his fingers away from
and back towards himself --- going faster the more his thoughts
seem to be blocked!

<snip>

> At least, please send me what sound (and spelling) you've assigned
> for filled pauses in your languages.
/auzuv/ is spelled auzuv!  :-)


Dan Sulani
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likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a.

A word is an awesome thing.

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