Pragmatics of fiction: Literary uses of uh and um

For some time now fictional language has been recognized as a legitimate source of data for pragmatic analyses as long as it is studied on its own terms and not as a less than perfect representation of other types of language use. The planners uh and um are particularly interesting elements because of their pervasive and nevertheless often inconspicuous nature in spoken language. In fictional language they are less frequent and more conspicuous. They may even serve as stylistic devices as is shown by a brief analysis of the use of uh and um in Douglas Adams’ mock science fiction novel The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy.