WHY DO SPEAKERS USE HESITATION WHEN PRODUCING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?

Abstract

It is often found that the speakers hesitate when they are speaking. This article is to investigate the speakers’ hesitation when they produce the English language. The investigations were: (1) forms of hesitation, (2) factors affecting hesitation, and (3) implications of having hesitation in using the English language. The current research used a qualitative perspective in investigating the hesitation. The respondents were 23 students who experienced hesitation in producing the English language. The results of the research revealed that they used (1) un-lexicalized filler, (2) repetition, and (3) no sound before finding the intended words from the mental lexicon. Hesitation is due to limited vocabulary and the speakers’ psychological factors.