1

Examples:

Anyway, after that I went home and went to sleep.

Anyhow, do you want to go for a drink?

So then, I was chatting to this girl and...

Now, Bob was a nice guy, but socially inept.

Her cooking was, well, terrible.

These words are distinct from fillers like 'umm' and 'err' because they are often used intentionally in written, usually informal, English, such as writing expressing a conversational tone.

3
  • 1
    Filler Words: grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/fillerterm.htm
    – user66974
    Jul 7, 2015 at 9:40
  • From the sentences you are showing they just look like 'adverbs'. Anyway: (adverb) used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement; "Anyhow, he is dead now"; "I think they're asleep; anyhow, they're quiet"; "I don't know what happened to it; anyway, it's gone"; "anyway, there is another factor to consider"; "I don't know how it started; in any case, there was a brief scuffle"; "in any event, the government faced a serious protest"; "but at any rate he got a knighthood for it" thefreedictionary.com/anyway
    – user66974
    Jul 7, 2015 at 9:47
  • I'll just point out that this question here addresses this question quite well.
    – dwjohnston
    Jul 7, 2015 at 21:15

1 Answer 1

2

Insofar as the 'superfluous filler words' denote or relate to language used for general purposes of social interaction, rather than to convey information or ask questions, they are phatic.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/phatic

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.