Tuesday, 3 November 2015

Is 'hmmm?' an interjection? If not, what is it?

I hope this isn't obvious (although maybe it's better if it is)! I'm working with an interview transcript and I have a participant who says 'Hmmm?' in a way that I want to discuss. Unfortunately, I don't know how to refer to it. Here's an example of what he's saying (note, he's a non-native speaker):



  • Interviewer: Did you help them yourself?

  • Participant: Hmmmm?

  • I: Did you personally help them, or was it..

  • P: Oh yes, I...

And so on. I don't think it's a vocalized pause or a filler word, since he's not speaking at length, just prompting the interviewer to provide clarification. Does this type of sound/question have a name, or am I completely off track?

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