Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi,
I am trying to find some information for a student about how long is too long for a pause in spoken English? He is a student writing a paper on it, so I am looking for something that is sourced, but happy also to hear people's personal ideas on this issue. I read on an IELTS prep website recently that if you pause for more than 10 seconds in the Speaking Test you will definitely lose a bandscore. I personally think that is rubbish, but haven't been able to find any good papers on the acceptable length of pausing in English speech.
Please help!

Try looking through the articles in the following professional journals:

1. International Journal of Applied Linguistics
2. International Journal of Linguistics
3. Language and Society
4. Journal of Pragmatics

I'm sure you'll find a specific study that will address your questions. Good Luck.

A ten second pause definitely sounds uncomfortable to me!

Of course, some learners have the opposite problem; they rush through their sentences too quickly.

Try looking at the stuttering (fluency) research as well. Stuttering researchers care a lot about unfilled pauses.

Try searching on Pub Med for journal abstracts. It's easy, quick, and free.

-EH