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"Well, um..." in different languages | ||
Tags: Speaking | Multilingual | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Stephen7878 Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4787 days ago 34 posts - 48 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Greek, Italian | Message 9 of 22 18 July 2013 at 9:58pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
So you think saying "well what do you think" is a mistake? or impolite? I think that those words are pretty universal in how they are employed, and where there are differences, speaking with natives will fix that problem. I just cannot comprehend the argument you are trying to make. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5136 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes  Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 10 of 22 18 July 2013 at 10:18pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
"Quindi" is another one. Used often when you don't know what else to say. "Quindi..." Another one is "comunque", when you sort of want to switch topics/gears, but it can come off as a little rude depending on who you use it with. R. == 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| embici Triglot Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4616 days ago 263 posts - 370 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Greek | Message 11 of 22 18 July 2013 at 10:26pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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"Este" is a common filler word in Spanish. Edited by embici on 18 July 2013 at 10:30pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4340 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 12 of 22 19 July 2013 at 2:22am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Interjections aren't mistakes. They're linguistic crutches, and in some languages they have an additional function as signs of acknowledgment. I'm sure you use interjections in your native language. Or do you go "I feel terrible disgust because I've stepped on a smelly substance of suspicious contexture, and now my shoe is dirty" whenever you've accidentally stepped on dog poo? No: you probably just go "beurk" (...I guess. I don't know French). Why wouldn't you use them in other languages if you do in your own? I also don't understand why you think the use of interjections show lack of native fluency, given that native speakers frequently ALSO use them for the same purposes a language learner would. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5136 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 13 of 22 19 July 2013 at 2:35am | IP Logged | ||||||||
What Stephen7878 was asking about isn't really interjections - that's something else entirely. Interjections are exclamations. What he was asking about is called fillers. Why would you consider them linguistic crutches? Used judiciously, they'll make the non-native appear a bit more at ease with the language. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it's not overdone. R. == 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Bruno87 Diglot Groupie Argentina Joined 4388 days ago 49 posts - 72 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English Studies: German, Portuguese | Message 14 of 22 19 July 2013 at 3:01am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Yep. It´s like a "Esteeehh". I don't know any equivalent in German but I say "Achh" xD Does anybody know the German equivalent to "well"? 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| Lakeseayesno Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico thepolyglotist.com Joined 4340 days ago 280 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English, Spanish*, Japanese, Italian Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 15 of 22 19 July 2013 at 3:07am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Hm. In retrospective, I think I might've misused the term "linguistic" here, on a heat of the moment fit of language-learning passion, but anyhow... I meant that for the most part, I said they're crutches because (at least for me) they're a support one can lean on when the correct word won't come to mind and buying time is necesary, and also that when used correctly, they show a degree of comfort within the language (like you said). Also, I used that specific word because both in language and in the physical world, people don't use crutches unless they have to, so I also tried to imply they shouldn't be abused. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| mahasiswa Pentaglot Groupie Canada Joined 4438 days ago 91 posts - 142 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, German, Malay Studies: Arabic (Egyptian), Persian, Russian, Turkish, Mandarin, Hindi | Message 16 of 22 19 July 2013 at 3:41am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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In German, I'm prone to a solid 'naja', 'klar' or a very non-chalant 'ja' when wanting to let someone know
you're still listening to them. That's just based off of what I hear in Til Schweiger films and hear on MDR Figaro Cafe, a podcast I listen to a lot. It seems to work when I speak with my German friends, too! 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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