Um. . .: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean by Michael Erard My rating: 4 of 5 stars I finished the book, "Um. . .: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean" by Michael Erard on October 29th, 2018. I had started it on June 17th, only a few months earlier. I thought the material covering historical texts was a drag to read through. I was expecting a deeper linguistic analysis but this wasn't the right book to read. I also do not believe that "um" is a speech error. It is a channel feedback mechanism designed to tell the listeners to wait patiently. The book did cover sign languages and I commend the author for doing this. I had read the part in the book where one presenter on verbal blunders "psychically" caused the speakers after her to blunder more than usual. I experienced a similar "psychic" effect today. I finished the book during a lull at a work meeting while I waited for a lady technician at he