Pardon?

[smallwhite]

[Out of nowhere]

Native speaker @ 100mph: Maybe we can install some open shelves here.
Poor confused learner: ... er... ?
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves!
Poor confused learner: ... Pardon? er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Open shelves! O-pen shel-ves! Here!
Poor confused learner: ... yes, yes, I mean... er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves! Shelves here!

I don't know if it's just native English speakers, but why do they only repeat the object and not the whole sentence? I know the poor confused learner didn't make it clear what she didn't hear, but it seems that repeating only the object is the default way to repeat things?

When I repeat things, (I think) I repeat the whole sentence, in the original speed and volume and all. (Not saying that's necessarily better).

[moo]

Native speaker @ 100mph: Maybe we can install some open shelves here.
Poor confused learner: ... er... ?
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves!
Poor confused learner: ... Pardon? er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Open shelves! O-pen shel-ves! Here!
Poor confused learner: ... yes, yes, I mean... er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves! Shelves here!

I don't know if it's just native English speakers, but why do they only repeat the object and not the whole sentence? I know the poor confused learner didn't make it clear what she didn't hear, but it seems that repeating only the object is the default way to repeat things?

When I repeat things, (I think) I repeat the whole sentence, in the original speed and volume and all. (Not saying that's necessarily better).

I would personally rephrase if someone didn't understand me the first time. I think the native speaker here maybe was in a rush.

[Soclydeza]

If you know the object of the sentence (and the situation you are in), a lot of times you can generally guess at or infer what the rest of the message is. Depends on the situation, I guess.

Some people do have some weird ways of clarifying things to non-natives though. A coworker of mine at an old job used to speak fast and would use pretty high level words. When he was speaking with a customer/client (English wasn't very good) who didn't understand him, he would just speak louder and louder, not slower and simpler.

[WalkingAlone13]

Do you think this may have something to do with intonation? For me, if I have not heard something it is almost 100% of the time the last word. My brother has a tendency to repeat the entire sentence if I say that I didn't hear, and then I still do not always hear the part I missed (the last part). I now usually have to say, sorry I didn't catch the last part.

[smallwhite]

I walked into the room and he said that to me out of nowhere Normally we just say Hi, so his suddenly discussing shelf installation with me totally confused me. And I've exaggerated up there, but it's been on more than one occasion that I've noticed people only repeat the object.

[aokoye]

Native speaker @ 100mph: Maybe we can install some open shelves here.
Poor confused learner: ... er... ?
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves!
Poor confused learner: ... Pardon? er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Open shelves! O-pen shel-ves! Here!
Poor confused learner: ... yes, yes, I mean... er...
Native speaker @ 100mph: Shelves! Shelves here!

I don't know if it's just native English speakers, but why do they only repeat the object and not the whole sentence? I know the poor confused learner didn't make it clear what she didn't hear, but it seems that repeating only the object is the default way to repeat things?

When I repeat things, (I think) I repeat the whole sentence, in the original speed and volume and all. (Not saying that's necessarily better).

This also happens when native speakers don't understand something. If I'm speaking to someone who I know isn't a native speaker and they don't understand I'll rephrase the sentence. I don't dumb it down, but I will make say it differently.

[Ani]

This happens to me all the time! With my husband especially. It is always the first part of the sentence I miss, before I was aware the person was actually talking to me, but somehow they usually repeat either just the object or the last part of the sentence. After an exchange like you posted, I usually have to yell "I got that part! something something something ... "repeat whatever he just said"" and then he'll realize I understood the object but still have no idea what the point of the sentence was.

Is this cultural? Something to do with the structure of English? I don't think I do this to other people. I believe I pause and repeat my sentence. Nothing to do with clarifying to a learner though because obviously this is my native language and my husband is well used to talking to me.

[Brun Ugle]

I've had the same problem as Ani. I would hear the last past of the sentence, but I'd miss the first part because I wasn't aware I was supposed to be listening. It was always the last part that got repeated though and I'd have to ask again for the first part. This was a Norwegian speaker speaking sometimes in Norwegian and sometimes in English.

[smallwhite]

Now you've mentioned it, I'm not sure if it's the object or the last part that they repeat. Let's test this on people around us and report back

Pardon?

[Speakeasy]

As for Ani, this happens to me all the time with my spouse, in this case my wife, and we speak only French to one another.

I suspect that this phenomenon is not related to a particular language or culture. While this phenomenon might be nothing more than an habitual, individual speech pattern, it is more likely a subtle and rather complex issue that touches upon how specific individuals process information and how they relate to other people.

In contrast to Smallwhite's example, whenever anyone says to me that they did not catch what I have just said, I repeat the entire utterance because I need the reassurance that I have been completely understood ... which some people find quite irritating! But then again, I have consistently scored around the 94th percentile on tests for Asperger's Syndrome.