Linguists have long dismissed quasi-words like 'um' and 'huh' as irrelevant noise in conversation. However, recent research suggests that these interjections are vital for managing the flow of dialogue and ensuring mutual understanding between speakers. Mark Dingemanse, a linguist at Radboud University, notes that these subtleties might hold great significance in communication, challenging traditional views on complex language. With advancements in recording technology, scholars can now analyze spoken language more effectively, revealing that one in every seven utterances contains an interjection, highlighting its central role in everyday speech.
For many decades, linguists regarded such utterances as largely irrelevant noise, the flotsam and jetsam that accumulate on the margins of language when speakers aren't as articulate as they'd like to be.
These little words may be much more important than that. A few linguists now think that far from being detritus, they may be crucial traffic signals to regulate the flow of conversation.
What’s intriguing is that once recordings of conversation became available, they could begin to analyze spoken language the same way as writing.
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