6 ms·

I'm not so sure about this... I speak 3 languages and it does exist in only two of them. The closest you can get to "huh" is probably "eh" in the last one, thou

I'm not so sure about this... I speak 3 languages and it does exist in only two of them. The closest you can get to "huh" is probably "eh" in the last one, though that is still fairly close. Mind you, those are all European languages so they probably have influenced one-another significantly over the centuries (even the Slavic language of the bunch). I guess "huh" might have been transferred over to other parts of the world during the time of the colonial empires, making it more common. But all languages? I Doubt it. I happened to be chatting with an old friend who is originally from Lebanon and she said that's not the case in Arabic for instance(with a grain of salt since she also says she's anything but fluent in Arabic).

hliyan 6y ago
I speak two, and in one of those, the meaning is completely different. In my native language, the nasal "huh" is actually and acknowledgement as in "yes, I will do it" or "ok, go ahead". Our version of the quizzical "huh" is actually a nasal "aa" sound (as in cat) with an upward inflection.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  I think the chart showed transliterations similar to "aa". It was not claimed that the exact sound or spelling of "huh" exists in every language.
tetromino_ 6y ago
The table in the article considers "eh" (like in Spanish) and "a" (like in Russian) as equivalent to huh in a given language.
- tasogare 6y ago
  Then clearly "huh" doesn’t exist in all languages, proving GP point.
  - deadwing0 6y ago
    Per the linked article in OP: >They recorded bits of informal conversation from 31 dialects across 5 continents and suggested that the word ‘huh’ (and its variants) is possibly a universal repair initiator that exists in all languages, performs the same function and sounds roughly the same across languages. It is apparent that they were aware that it isn't pronounced the same in all languages (because of course it isn't), but that it's a possible universal repair initiator that sounds similar. The title of the article is linkbait, I agree, but the article explains better.
    - stingraycharles 6y ago
      But isn’t this the case for more than just “huh” ? For example, expressing pain (eg “ouch”) exists in all languages as well, although they all have to be translated as well.
      - pcl 6y ago
        Yes, and the article addresses this. It says that pain sounds are closer to grunts on the word-grunt spectrum, and they argue that “huh” is more word-like ok that spectrum.
      - rat9988 6y ago
        >expressing pain (eg “ouch”) exists in all languages as well I'm pretty sure it's not.
- fcvarela 6y ago
  This is like saying 'yes' exists in all languages because there's an equivalent in every language... It's... a bit clikbaity
  - cgsullivan 6y ago
    Irish doesn't have words for "yes" and "no" -- answers must echo the verb: "Are you okay?" "Am." "Did you tell him to come over?" "Didn't tell."
    - DonaldFisk 6y ago
      Unsurprisingly, it's similar in Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. Mandarin and Cantonese (and probably other Sinitic languages) don't either, with much the same arrangement as the Celtic languages.
      - AnotherGoodName 6y ago
        No Shi? I had no idea about Mandarin.
        lopmotr 6y ago
        Shi means "is", not "yes" in Mandarin.
        singularity2001 6y ago
        who sais yes isn't a contraction of i'is
        r0rshrk 6y ago
        Surprisingly, this is partially true. It's a contraction but an older one. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yes https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yes
        6y ago
dghughes 6y ago
As a teen in the 80s I went to corner stores which in my city were run by Lebanese people (immigrants of the 1973 civil war). I collected the coins from video games. As a fan of languages I found the Arabic language fascinating. One thing I noticed was the "eh" sound used for a huh or what. The older couple would argue frequently so I dare say some of the words may have been swear words.

hliyan 6y ago

I speak two, and in one of those, the meaning is completely different. In my native language, the nasal "huh" is actually and acknowledgement as in "yes, I will do it" or "ok, go ahead". Our version of the quizzical "huh" is actually a nasal "aa" sound (as in cat) with an upward inflection.

perl4ever 6y ago
I think the chart showed transliterations similar to "aa". It was not claimed that the exact sound or spelling of "huh" exists in every language.

tetromino_ 6y ago

The table in the article considers "eh" (like in Spanish) and "a" (like in Russian) as equivalent to huh in a given language.

tasogare 6y ago
Then clearly "huh" doesn’t exist in all languages, proving GP point.
- deadwing0 6y ago
  Per the linked article in OP: >They recorded bits of informal conversation from 31 dialects across 5 continents and suggested that the word ‘huh’ (and its variants) is possibly a universal repair initiator that exists in all languages, performs the same function and sounds roughly the same across languages. It is apparent that they were aware that it isn't pronounced the same in all languages (because of course it isn't), but that it's a possible universal repair initiator that sounds similar. The title of the article is linkbait, I agree, but the article explains better.
  - stingraycharles 6y ago
    But isn’t this the case for more than just “huh” ? For example, expressing pain (eg “ouch”) exists in all languages as well, although they all have to be translated as well.
    - pcl 6y ago
      Yes, and the article addresses this. It says that pain sounds are closer to grunts on the word-grunt spectrum, and they argue that “huh” is more word-like ok that spectrum.
    - rat9988 6y ago
      >expressing pain (eg “ouch”) exists in all languages as well I'm pretty sure it's not.
fcvarela 6y ago
This is like saying 'yes' exists in all languages because there's an equivalent in every language... It's... a bit clikbaity
- cgsullivan 6y ago
  Irish doesn't have words for "yes" and "no" -- answers must echo the verb: "Are you okay?" "Am." "Did you tell him to come over?" "Didn't tell."
  - DonaldFisk 6y ago
    Unsurprisingly, it's similar in Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. Mandarin and Cantonese (and probably other Sinitic languages) don't either, with much the same arrangement as the Celtic languages.
    - AnotherGoodName 6y ago
      No Shi? I had no idea about Mandarin.
      - lopmotr 6y ago
        Shi means "is", not "yes" in Mandarin.
        singularity2001 6y ago
        who sais yes isn't a contraction of i'is
        r0rshrk 6y ago
        Surprisingly, this is partially true. It's a contraction but an older one. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yes https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yes
      - 6y ago

dghughes 6y ago

As a teen in the 80s I went to corner stores which in my city were run by Lebanese people (immigrants of the 1973 civil war). I collected the coins from video games. As a fan of languages I found the Arabic language fascinating. One thing I noticed was the "eh" sound used for a huh or what. The older couple would argue frequently so I dare say some of the words may have been swear words.