100 Interjections Essay

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100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections by Mark Nichol They often seem disreputable, like sullen idlers loitering in a public thoroughfare, but they actually do a lot of hard work and are usually persnickety about the tasks to which they are put. They are interjections — one class of them, anyway: those lacking etymological origins but packed with meaning. But how do you know how to distinguish similar ones — or spell them, for that matter? Here’s an incomplete inventory of interjections (not including variations of actual words such as yeah for yes or onomatopoeic echoes of externally produced sounds like boom): Ack communicates disgust or dismissal. Ah can denote positive emotions like relief or delight (generally, pronounced with a long a). Aha signals triumph or surprise, or perhaps derision. Ahem is employed to gain attention. Argh, often drawn out with additional h’s, is all about frustration. Aw can be dismissive or indicative of disappointment, or, when drawn out, expressive of sympathy or adoration. Aye denotes agreement. Bah is dismissive. Blah communicates boredom or disappointment. Blech (or bleah or bleh) implies nausea. Boo is an exclamation to provoke fright. Boo-hoo is imitative of crying and is derisive. Boo-ya (with several spelling variants) is a cry of triumph. Bwah-hah-hah (variously spelled, including mwah-hah-hah) facetiously mimics the stereotypical archvillain’s triumphant laugh. D’oh is the spelling for the muttering accompanying Homer Simpson’s trademark head-slapping self-abuse. Duh derides someone who seems dense. Eek indicates an unpleasant surprise. Eh, with a question mark, is a request for repetition or confirmation of what was just said; without, it is dismissive. Er (sometimes erm) plays for time. Ew denotes disgust, intensified by the addition of one or more e’s and/or w’s. Feh (and its cousin meh) is
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