Hmmm. You and I must be from completely different groups then. It would be really interesting to actually audibly compare our "hmmmm (mmmm)s" for this case. Because as written I can't imagine ever being able to interpret a single-syllable hmmm as a "ok, I'm with ya" sound. –

May 20, 2016 · I hope this isn't obvious (although maybe it's better if it is)! I'm working with an interview transcript and I have a participant who says 'Hmmm?' in a way that I want to discuss. Unfortunately, I don't know how to refer to it. Here's an example of what he's saying (note, he's a non-native speaker): Interviewer: Did you help them yourself?

Feb 3, 2018 · The OED defines the word prounounced "hmm" as hum, an interjection.. An inarticulate exclamation uttered with the lips closed, either in a pause of hesitation or embarrassment, or as expressing slight dissatisfaction, dissent, etc. (Cf. hem int., h'm int., um int.)

May 21, 2011 · There's an old vaudeville comedy routine (Spike Jones used it in his version of Chloe) that I really like.. There's a telephone on the stage; it rings, and the comedian answers; we only hear his side of the conversation: "You don

Aug 6, 2021 · I suggested a solution about how to flip the magnetic field of the Earth. By means of a huge external field generated in space. The first reaction in a comment was "Hmmm,...". The solution was taken seriously though. There were extra questions asked. More generally, is it a noun, an adjective, a verb, or is it all in one.

Oct 13, 2015 · This is an opinion (hence, the comment instead of answer), but IMO, "Mmm" is a kind of closed-lip moan that can be used to indicate something's yummy, or to fill space when trying to answer a question or an ambiguous non-committal sound when you're not quite sure what to say or if you don't want to say anything but acknowledge the …

Jul 28, 2019 · It gets a bit more complicated given the many meanings of "hmm". Depending on context and tone, it can mean "I agree" or "I disagree", "I hear you" (with or without agreement) or "I'm not really listening". And when used in a question, it can also mean "Can you repeat that?" So far I've got. He hummed in agreement. He grunted noncommittally.

Jul 19, 2018 · These words sound like the things they mean when spoken without explicitly meaning their sound. Contrast this to onomatopoeias whos meaning is only their sound: Bang; Boom; Tic; I am convinced that at some point I knew the answer to this question but I have since forgotten it. Since I have tagged this as a single-word request here is a sample ...

In all the textbooks I have had the opportunity to use (especially in textbooks for teaching English as a second/foreign language in High Schools) these are called FILLERS and are defined as words with no specific meaning, but with important role- they fill the time of speaking giving you more time to think about whay you are going to say next or how to say it correctly).

The Macmillan Dictionary has a listing for hmm, but not for hm or hmmm. Oddly, h'm is listed as an alternative. However, according to Google Ngrams , the prevalence of h'm has fallen off sharply since the 1940s.