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The research examined pain words and interjections across more than 130 languages, discovering patterns that suggest these expressions might stem from our instinctive, nonlinguistic vocalisations.
The study found that pain interjections commonly include vowels like a, ai or au. (Representative Image)
Ever stubbed your toe and let out a loud ‘ouch’? Or perhaps something similar in your native tongue? Interestingly, those little cries of pain, whether “ouch” in English or “ay” in Spanish, may have more in common than you think. A fascinating study published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America suggests that expressions of pain across the world share surprising similarities, hinting at a universal link between human emotions and vocal sounds.
The research examined pain words and interjections across more than 130 languages, discovering patterns that suggest these expressions might stem from our instinctive, nonlinguistic vocalisations. The findings shed new light on how humans express pain, uniting us in our shared uncomfortable experiences.
Led by Maia Ponsonnet from the University of Western Australia, Christophe D. M. Coupe from the University of Hong Kong, and Kasia Pisanski from France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the study delved into whether interjections like “ouch!” or “wow!” have universal characteristics. These standalone words, which express emotions such as pain, joy, or disgust, were examined for recurring patterns tied to specific feelings.
The researchers reportedly sifted through a vast dataset of over 500 interjections from 131 languages spanning Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. They also compared these linguistic interjections with nonlinguistic vocalisations, such as moans and cries, which are raw, instinctive sounds made when experiencing pain or other emotions.
The study found that pain interjections commonly include vowels like “a,” “ai,” or “au.” For instance, English speakers say “ouch!” while Spanish speakers exclaim “ay!” These vowel sounds appeared consistently in pain-related expressions, more so than in words for joy or disgust. “We found that pain interjections have markedly more ‘a’ vowels or vowel combinations like ‘ai’ or ‘au,’ which are more likely to occur compared to disgust or joy interjections, or other random words,” the researchers said.
On the other hand, interjections for emotions like disgust or joy showed no such consistent patterns. This suggests that pain expressions may have unique ties to our natural, instinctive vocalisations, while other emotions rely more on linguistic conventions.
The team also analysed nonlinguistic sounds, such as groans, yelps, or cries, produced by speakers of various languages, including English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Turkish. Once again, “a” vowels dominated pain vocalisations, whereas disgust sounds featured neutral vowels and joy sounds leaned toward “i” vowels.
This strong connection between pain interjections and instinctive sounds suggests that cries of pain may not be entirely linguistic. Instead, they could originate from primal vocalisations humans make when hurt. The same wasn’t true for disgust or joy, which appeared more shaped by cultural and linguistic factors.
The study challenges the long-held idea that language is entirely arbitrary. Pain interjections hint at a deeper, universal link between human experience and language. “Pain, a universal and deeply emotional experience, is so central to human life that the spontaneous sounds it provokes might have influenced the conventional words we use to express it,” the researchers pointed out.
This groundbreaking research raises more questions about the roots of language. The team believes further studies could explore consonants and delve into other emotions beyond pain, joy and disgust to build a broader understanding of how language mirrors human experience.
