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discussions, we quickly realize that there is enormous variation in what people say and do in different circumstances”. This is the reason why there may be speech
disfluencies or speech errors that occur in speeches.
2.1.8 Common Types of Speech Errors
When people speak, they tend to make speech errors and seem almost every speaker makes these errors. Thus these speech errors are called “Common Speech
Errors” by Clark and Clark1977: 268. The common types of speech errors are:
1. Silent Pause
Silent pause means a period of no speech between words. Speed of talking is almost entirely determined by the amount of such pausing. People who speak slowly
hesitate a lot, when they speed up their rate words,they do it by eliminating the pauses, not by shortening the words. According to Maclay and Osgood 1959 in
Clark and Clark’s 1977:262, fast speakers are fluent because they do not hesitate much, and slow speakers are not as fluent because they hesitate a great deal. Silent
pause is symbolized by []. For example :
- Let’s go to the cinema now
- Please open the door
2. Filled Pause
Filled pause is a kind of hesitation pause. Filled pause means the pause or a gap filled by “ah”, “er”, “uh”, “mm” or the like when the speaker speaks slowly.
Filled pause is symbolized by [,.....,] Clark and Clark1977: 268 in Dardjowidjojo 2005: 145 state that there are
several words that are usually used by speakers to fill pauses such as : -
Oh, for example : I would like, oh, carrot.
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- Ah, for example : I would like, ah, carrot.
- Well, for example : I would like, well, carrot.
- Say, for example : I would like, say, carrot.
For example : -
Let’s go to, mm, the cinema -
Please, open, er, the door 3.
Repeat Repeat means speaker makes the repetition of one or more words in a row. It
usually happens when people speak spontaneously and fast. Repeat is symbolized by [].
For example : -
Let’s go to the cinema cinema -
Please, open the door the door 4.
Retraced False Start Retraced false start is the correction of a word. Retraced false start also
includes the repetition of one or more words before the corrected word. Retraced false start is symbolized by [\].
For example : -
Let’s go to the school \ the cinema -
Please, open the window \ the door 5.
Unretraced False Start Unretraced false start is similar to retraced false start. Unretraced false
startdoes not include the repetition of one or more words before the corrected word. The speaker changes corrected words to the right ones directly without repeating the
words before the corrected words. Unretraced false start is symbolized by [\\].
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For example : -
Let’s go to the school \\ cinema -
Please, open the window \\ door 6.
Correction Correction occurs because speakers know a good deal about how they select
the words they are going to say. In each correction, speakers replace certain old words with the new ones, indicating that the old words had been misplanned.
Correction phrases are signal why speakers are interrupting themselves. Clark and Clark1977: 270 has noted several types of correction such as “that is” : reference
editing, “or rather” : nuance editing, “I mean” : mistake editing, “well” : claim editing. Correction is symbolized by [-].
For example : -
Please, open the window – I mean, the door -
He arrived late last night – or rather, in the early hours this morning. -
She really love Jack – that is, Jessica does -
We have an examination next week – well, on Monday, 21st of August. 7.
Stutter Learning to talk is not always easy. Some people have difficulty combining
sounds into words. They repeat or prolong the beginning sounds of many words, which is furthermore called a disfluency, because they break up the smooth flow of
speech. More specifically a people who has such a disfluency stutter, which by definition, is speech characterized by abnormal hesitations, repetitions, and
prolongations that may be accompanied by gestures, grimaces, or other bodily movements indicating a struggle to speak, blocking of speech, anxiety, or avoidance
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of speech. It is disorder, which we have all heard and recognized, or perhaps even experienced before: it’s the most frequent type of fluency disorder.
Speakers do the stutters because they are hesitant, stumbling, tense, jerky or nervous. Stutteris signed by repeating one letter or syllable for many times before a
certain word that will say next. Stutters frequently occur when people give the speech in the spontaneous situation because they have to plan the expressions in
words in mind before delivery. The types of disfluencies in stuttering may also be different. Sound or
syllable repetitions, silent “blocks”, and prolongations unnatural stretching out of sound and facial grimaces can be presented. Stuttering has a strong genetic link.
People who stutter are very likely to have inherited their “stuttering potential” or “Stuttering predisposition” from their mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather,
with 50 up to 75 of people who stutter having at least one relative who also stutters.
Stutters or stammers are caused by : a.
A history of stammering in the family. b.
Some delay in acquiring language or articulation. c.
Considerable emotional stress. Stutter is symbolized by [---]
For example : -
Please, open the d-d-d-door -
Let’s go to the ci-ci-cinema 8.
Interjection Interjection occurs when speakers remember about something which is still
related to the topic of the speaking suddenly.
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For example : -
Let’s go to the eh, cinema -
Please, open, ah, the door Interjectionis also inserted into a sentence to convey surprise, strong emotion,
or to gain attention. Interjectionis usually placed at the beginning of a sentence. In addition, if an interjection is mild, it is followed by a comma. If it is strong, it is
followed by an exclamation point. Examples include words like: Oh, Darn, Hey, and Well. The following are two examples of the proper usage of interjections in
sentences. - Well, I suppose I should stay home and study this weekend.
- Darn I broke my fingernail. 9.
Slip of The Tongue Jannedy 1994: 294 says, “By slips of the tongue we mean any inadvertent
flaws in a speaker’s use of his or her language.” Slip of the tongue is one of the common speech errors as Scovel 1998: 31 states that slips of the tongue or
typographical mistakes are normal, everyday occurences which pervade our speaking and our writing. Slip of the tongue is symbolized by []. Slip of the tongue can be
distinguished into a number of subtypes Clark and Clark, 1977: 270 : a.
Anticipation is the speaker intended to say “get me the pen”, but said instead “pet” me the “pen”, anticipating the “p” at the beginning of “pen”
in his pronunciation of “get”. This type of error involves the substitution or addition of one sound which comes later in an utterance for one which
comes earlier. Jannedy, 1994: 294. b.
Perseveration is the opposite of anticipation. It involves the substitution or addition of a sound which has occurred earlier in the phrase being uttered.
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e.g. Get me the pen get me the gen c.
Reversal is the interchange of two segments. Reversal occurred in two syllables.
e.g. Radio Dario d.
Blendis the speaker blends two words together taken the first half of one, and the second half of the other.
e.g. Ladies and Gentlemen lateleman e.
Haplologyis the speaker leaves out a short stretch of speech it can omit on syllable.
e.g. beautiful girl beauful girl f.
Misderivation is the speaker attaches a wrong suffix or prefix to the words.
Unbelievable misbelievable g.
Word substitution is the speaker produces the word that is wrong difficulty related idea semantically or phonologically to the word
intended. e.g. the shops are open the shops are close
The common types of speech errors are listed as follows: No
Common Speech Errors Symbols
Examples 1
Silent Pause Please open the door
2 Filled Pause
,....., Please, open, er, the door
3 Repeat
Please, open the door the door 4
Retraced False Start \
Please, open the window \ the door
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5 Unretraced False Start
\\ Please, open the window \\ door
6 Correction
— Please, open the window – I mean,
the door 7
Stutter ----
Please, open the d-d-d-door 8
Interjection ....
Please, open, ah, the door 9
Slip of The Tongue
Close the door Open the door
2.1.9 Language and Media
