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Why do we, like, hesitate when we, um, speak? - Lorenzo García-Amaya

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

For as long as we’ve had language, some people have tried to control it. And some of the most frequent targets of this communication regulation are the ums, ers, and likes that pepper our conversations. These linguistic fillers occur roughly 2 to 3 times per minute in natural speech. So are ums and uhs just a habit we can’t break? Or is there more to them? Lorenzo García-Amaya investigates.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Lorenzo García-Amaya
  • Director Yael Reisfeld
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Music Yael Reisfeld
  • Sound Designer Yael Reisfeld, Samuel Bellingham
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