The semantic typology of expressive interjections: colexifications in pain, disgust and joy interjections across languages

Abstract

Expressive interjections are most likely a universal feature of human languages, yet for the moment we know very little about their typology. This article presents the first broad-scale cross-linguistic study on the semantic typology of expressive interjections. Specifically, the study examines colexification patterns, i.e. which experiences tend to be expressed by the same interjections. Based on lexicographic sources, we assembled a data set of 523 interjections expressing pain, disgust or joy in a diverse sample of 144 languages. We then inventoried which other meanings (or ‘colexifications’) associate with these three experiences. The analysis revealed that pain, disgust and joy all associate with a large and diverse set of experiences, with significant overlap. However, there are strong contrasts regarding the most prevalent colexifications, delineating a number of experience clusters. Pain interjections often express generic negative emotions, sorrow, fear, and compassion. Disgust interjections often express dislike or disapproval, contempt, and to some extent irritation. Joy interjections often express admiration, approbation and congratulations. Pain and disgust associate preferentially with negative experiences, and joy with positive experiences. At the same time, disgust and joy share a preference for socially-oriented experiences, which is not matched by pain. Importantly, all three experiences frequently associate with surprise, presumably because it is neutral in valence. The pivotal role of surprise in the semantic networks delineated by interjections is a question for future research.