THE USE OF FILLER WORDS AS A COGNITIVE STRATEGY IN ACADEMIC PRESENTATION
Abstract
Academic presentations pose significant cognitive challenges for EFL students, often triggering the production of filler words such as "uh", "um", or "ini". While traditional views often categorize these markers as mere signs of disfluency or nervousness, recent studies suggest they serve strategic communicative functions. This study aims to investigate the use of filler words as a cognitive strategy by Al-Azhar Indonesia University students and lecturers during oral presentations, specifically analyzing their types, functions, and underlying causes based on Levelt (1989) Speech Production Model. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through direct observation and semi-structured interviews with five undergraduate students and two lecturers. The thematic analysis reveals that unlexicalized fillers (e.g., "E", "Em") are predominant, primarily functioning as 'Thinking Pauses' to manage high cognitive load during the conceptualization stage. Furthermore, the findings distinguish two specific contexts beyond general planning difficulties: 'Lexical Retrieval' struggles (e.g., using "Ini" as a placeholder for forgotten words) and 'Speech Style' (idiolect), where fillers appear as habitual patterns rather than cognitive failures. These results challenge the perception of fillers as solely negative errors, demonstrating that they are essential psycholinguistic tools for maintaining speech fluency and holding the communicative floor in high-pressure academic settings.
Keywords: Filler Words, Cognitive Strategy, Academic Presentation, Speech Production, Psycholinguistics
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