Summary
Students will learn why we use them, understand their functions as filled pauses and discourse markers, and analyze their impact on communication. The lesson aims to shift perception from viewing these as mere errors to recognizing their role in natural speech, helping learners improve both their spoken English and listening comprehension by understanding these nuances.
Activities
Students reflect on their own speech habits and perceptions of fillers, then learn key terminology like disfluencies and discourse markers through contextual examples.
Students watch a video about speech hesitations, answering comprehension questions to grasp the functions of filled pauses (e.g., 'um') and discourse markers (e.g., 'like', 'you know').
Students practice identifying and analyzing discourse markers in sentences, explain their purpose, and complete a cloze activity to solidify understanding of their role in natural speech.
The lesson also delves into the varied uses of the word 'like' as a discourse marker, distinguishing it from its verb form, and concludes with a reflection on personal speech awareness.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson highlights vocabulary related to speech patterns and communication. Key terms include disfluencies, filled pauses, discourse markers (e.g., 'like', 'you know', 'I mean', 'well'), language acquisition, stigma, natural speech, hesitation, elaborate, fluency, and conscientious. Students will learn to recognize and understand the role of these elements in spoken English.
Grammar focus
The lesson focuses on the functional grammar of discourse markers and filled pauses. Students will learn how these linguistic elements, such as 'um,' 'er,' 'like,' 'you know,' and 'I mean,' are used to manage conversation, signal hesitation, introduce quotes, approximate, emphasize, clarify, and help listeners process information. The aim is to understand their pragmatic functions rather than strict grammatical rules.
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