Use of Fillers as a Communication Strategy in Oral Interactions

Abstract

Being competent in English is an advantage to ESL speakers, particularly in the context of job interviews. While many learners of English as a second language (ESL) are struggling when using the language, Communication Strategies (CS) appear as helpful tools to overcome ESL speakers' difficulties in conveying their intended messages. CS generally refers to efforts made by ESL speakers to tackle various communication problems in the course of their oral interactions. Among the various types of CS, fillers are widely used due to its function as a floor-holding strategy in oral interactions. This study aims to investigate the use of fillers as CS by candidates of real academic staff recruitment interviews and explore their functions in oral communication. The data of this qualitative study were obtained from observations made on interview sessions involving interview panelists and the candidates, consisting of 19 Malay ESL speakers. The interview sessions were conducted in the English language at UiTM Machang campus in Kelantan, Malaysia. With the help of NVivo software (version 12), the researchers identified the types of fillers that occurred in the oral interactions and classified them according to Dörnyei and Scott's (1997) taxonomy of CS; lexicalised fillers and hesitation gambits. The results revealed that fillers were extensively used by ESL speakers in the interviews as a processing time pressure-related strategy. They occurred when the speakers were trying to fill in the gaps in communication. Undeniably, the strategy helps to maintain conversations and prevent communication breakdown, hence providing a significant contribution to speech and signal relationships between the speaker, the listener, and the discourse. Hence, the use of fillers should not be viewed negatively and totally avoided. As the speakers gradually increase their L2 competency, it is hoped that they would have more control over their use of fillers and hence, resulting in smoother oral communication.