Erving Goffman Quote
As a linguist suggests: There are messages primarily serving to establish, to prolong, or to discontinue communication, to check whether the channel works ( Hello, do you hear me?), to attract the attention of the interlocutor or to confirm his continued attention ( Are you listening? or in Shakespearean diction, Lend me your ears!— and on the other end of the wire Um-hum!).
Erving Goffman
As a linguist suggests: There are messages primarily serving to establish, to prolong, or to discontinue communication, to check whether the channel works ( Hello, do you hear me?), to attract the attention of the interlocutor or to confirm his continued attention ( Are you listening? or in Shakespearean diction, Lend me your ears!— and on the other end of the wire Um-hum!).