hellog〜英語史ブログ / 2019-06-26

■ #3712. 英語の間投詞 (2) [interjection][exclamation]

　「#3689. 英語の間投詞」 ([2019-06-03-1]) に引き続いての話題．The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories の p. 554 に，"Natural exclamations" と題するボキャビル欄がある．主要な英語の間投詞 (interjection) が初出時代や起源の記述とともに列挙されているものだが，現代も含め各時代に次々と新しい間投詞が生まれているものなのだなあと発見でき，なかなかおもしろい．

Interjection	First Attestation	Usage
aw	mid 19th century in American English	expressing mild protest
faugh	mid 16th century	expressing disgust
hey	Middle English	said in attracting attention
hi	late Middle English	said in greeting
ho	Middle English	expressing surprise or derision
hoots	early 19th century, but mid 16th century as hoot	expressing impatience
hoy	late Middle English	said to attract attention
lo	Old English as lā	said to indicate an amazing event.
oh	Middle English	expressing entreaty or mild surprise
oof	mid 19th century	expressing alarm or annoyance
ooh	early 20th century	expressing delight or pain
oops	1930s	said on making an error
ouch	mid 17th century	expressing pain
ow	mid 19th century	expressing pain
pooh	late 16th century	expressing disgust
pshaw	late 17th century	expressing impatience or contempt
shoo	late Middle English	said to frighten off the hearer
whee	1920s	expressing delight
whisht	mid 16th century	said to hush the hearer
whoo	early 17th century	expressing surprise or delight
wow	early 16th century	expressing admiration
yah	early 17th century	expressing derision
yahoo	1970s	expressing excitement
yeehaw	1970s in American English	expressing exuberance
yeow	1920s in American English	expressing shock
yippee	1920s in American English	expressing wild excitement
yo	late Middle English	said in greeting
yoo-hoo	1920s	said to attract attention
zowie	early 20th century in American English	expressing astonishment

　oops, ouch, pooh, wow など，よく知られているものでも，近代英語以降の初出と，意外に遅いことに気づく．間投詞が開かれた語類であることを再認識できた．

　・ Chantrell, Glynnis, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories. Oxford: OUP, 2002.

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