Which items do not carry conventional meaning and are used to fill pauses or buy thinking time?

• A. Fillers
• B. Discourse Markers
• C. Idiolect
• D. Ellipsis

Answer: (A)

Fillers are non-lexical sounds or short words that don't add propositional content but serve to hold the floor while thinking or buying time. They help manage turn-taking in conversation and keep the flow going without committing to a point, which is why they’re described as not carrying conventional meaning beyond signaling hesitation.

Discourse markers, by contrast, guide the flow of discussion and indicate relationships or stance (like connecting ideas or signaling a shift), so they carry a communicative function beyond mere hesitation. An idiolect refers to an individual’s unique way of speaking, a personal linguistic fingerprint, not a device used to fill pauses. Ellipsis involves omitting words and signaling that something is left out or unfinished, which conveys a different kind of meaning than a simple pause filler.