Every corner of the world has same language of pain: Study

We all know that when there is a sudden injury or pain, a word or sound comes out of our mouth, like 'Ouch!' or 'I!', which naturally expresses our pain. But are these sounds and words the same around the world?

A new study examines the question of whether there are similarities between different languages in the words and sounds used to express pain. It analysed the exclamations of pain, anger and happiness from more than 130 languages.

Similarities of exclamatory words of pain, anger, and pleasure

While different languages may have different words for pain, anger, and happiness, there is an interesting similarity in the way these emotions are expressed. The researchers studied more than 500 exclamatory words in 131 languages. Most of these words were found to have similar sounds, especially in the words of pain. For example, vowels like 'ouch', 'ai', 'a', 'ai' and 'au' were often found in words expressing pain. The use of such sounds was seen in almost every region around the world.

Role of non-linguistic vowels

The study also showed that the vowels of exclamation words used to express pain are similar to nonverbal vowels (e.g. groan, scream). For example, when a person is suddenly hurt, he emits sounds like 'ah' or 'uff', which are directly the body's response. These sounds are meaningful in themselves and reflect the experience of pain.

Differences in exclamations of anger and happiness

However, such similarities were not found in the exclamatory words of anger and happiness. These words often have a variety of vowels, depending on culture, language, and social context. For example, words like 'wow' or 'yahoo' are used to express happiness, which can change according to personality and social context.

A wonderful connection between science and language

The results of this study show that the human body's response to words and sounds expressing emotions is closely related. This research also suggests that there are some elements in language that are naturally associated with the physical and mental experiences of humans.