a) Body Language
There are several body movements that suggest confusion or lack of understanding, such as:
Scratching the head: When someone is confused, they may scratch their head, as if trying to scratch their brain to find an answer.
Furrowing the eyebrows: When someone doesn't understand something, they may furrow their eyebrows as a sign of confusion or concentration.
Tilting the head: Tilting the head to one side is often a sign of confusion, as if trying to see things from a different angle.
Biting the lip or fingernails: When someone is unsure or anxious, they may bite their lip or fingernails.
Fidgeting or tapping: When someone is feeling confused or unsure, they may fidget or tap their feet or fingers, as if trying to find an outlet for their nervous energy.
Pausing or hesitating: When someone is struggling to understand something, they may pause or hesitate before speaking or responding.
Looking away or avoiding eye contact: When someone doesn't understand something, they may avoid eye contact as a way of deflecting the question or avoiding the topic.
b) Utterances
Every culture and language use a few vocal sounds that English speakers commonly use to indicate that they want someone to repeat or clarify something because they are confused or don't understand. Some of these vocal sounds include:
"Hmmm?" - This is a questioning sound made by humming. It is often used to indicate confusion or uncertainty.
"Eh?" - This is a questioning sound made by exhaling air. It is often used to indicate that the listener didn't hear or understand what was said.
"Umm?" - This is a sound made by humming with the mouth closed. It is often used to indicate hesitation or uncertainty.
"Aah?" - This is a sound made by opening the mouth and exhaling air. It is often used to indicate surprise or confusion and also understanding.
"Mm-hmm?" - This is a sound made by humming with the mouth closed, followed by a rising intonation. It is often used to indicate that the listener is unsure or needs clarification.
These vocal sounds are often accompanied by non-verbal cues such as a confused or questioning facial expression, raised eyebrows, or a tilted head, to further convey the need for clarification.
Korean speakers also use non-verbal vocal sounds to indicate confusion or the need for clarification. Some common sounds include:
"음?" (eum?) - This is a questioning sound made by humming. It is often used to indicate confusion or uncertainty.
"어?" (eo?) - This is a questioning sound made by opening the mouth slightly. It is often used to indicate that the listener didn't hear or understand what was said.
"저기요?" (jeogiyo?) - This is a polite way of getting someone's attention and asking them to repeat what they said. It is similar to saying "Excuse me?" in English.
"뭐라고?" (mworago?) - This is a more direct way of asking someone to repeat what they said. It is similar to saying "What?" in English.
"어떻게?" (eotteoke?) - This is a sound made by inhaling air sharply. It is often used to indicate surprise or confusion, and can be used to ask for clarification.
Non-verbal cues such as raising an eyebrow, tilting the head, or using a questioning facial expression can also indicate confusion or the need for clarification.
c) Paraphrasing
When you want to understand what someone said, paraphrasing can help. Even if you do it wrong, it shows you're trying to understand. Paraphrasing gives them a chance to confirm or correct you, which clears up confusion.
For example, if you hear someone say, "I'm going to the store," but you're not sure if they said "store" or "shore," you could paraphrase what you heard by saying, "you're going to" or "going to the shore" or "the shore?" or "shore?" If the speaker actually said "store," they would likely correct you by saying, "No, store. I'm going to the store" or they might paraphrase their own to make sure it’s clearly understood... “Yes...I'm going to the market"
Using a rising voice at the end of your paraphrase shows you're unsure and want feedback. It makes them more likely to repeat or clarify what they said.
Let's try it...
Look at the paper you received at the start of class. There is a bolded sentence at the top.
Read your sentence to the class, who will try to write it down.
Only respond to requests for repeating if the use body language, utterances, or paraphrasing.