INTERJECTION

An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling or reaction. It is a diverse category, encompassing many different parts of speech, such as exclamations (ouch!, wow!), curses (damn!), greetings (hey, bye), response particles (okay, oh!, m-hm, huh?), hesitation markers (uh, er, um) and other words (stop, cool). Due to its diverse nature, the category of interjections partly overlaps with a few other categories like profanities, discourse markers and fillers. The use and linguistic discussion of interjections can be traced historically through the Greek and Latin Modistae over many centuries.

Greek and Latin intellectuals as well as the Modistae have contributed to the different perspectives of interjections in language throughout history.The Greeks held that interjections fell into the grammatical category of adverbs. They thought interjections modified the verb much in the same way as adverbs do, thus interjections were closely connected to verbs.

Unlike their Greek counterparts, many Latin scholars took the position that interjections did not rely on verbs and were used to communicate emotions and abstract ideas. They considered interjections to be their own independent part of speech. Further, the Latin grammarians classified any small non-word utterances as interjections.

Several hundred years later, the 13th- and 14th-century Modistae took inconsistent approaches to interjections. Some, such as Thomas of Erfurt, agreed with the former Greeks that the interjection was closely tied to the verb while others like Siger of Courtrai held that the interjection was its own part of speech syntactically, much like the Latin scholars.

In contrast to typical words and sentences, the function of most interjections is related to an expression of feeling, rather than representing some idea or concept.Generally, interjections can be classified into three types of meaning: volitive, emotive, or cognitive.

1. Volitive interjections function as imperative or directive expressions, requesting or demanding something from the addressee (e.g. “Shh!” = “Be quiet!”).
2. Emotive interjections are used to express emotions, such as disgust and fear (e.g. “Yuck!” = disgust).
3. Cognitive interjections express feelings which are more related to cognition, or information known to the speaker of the utterance (e.g. “Wow!” = surprise).

While there exists some apparent overlap between emotive and cognitive interjections, as both express a feeling, cognitive interjections can be seen as more related to knowledge of something (i.e. information previously known to the speaker, or recently learned).

And thus much may serve for stating the number, nature, signifi∣cation and use of this second kind of Grammatical Particle stiled Pronoun.

*Those Substitutive Particles, which serve to supply the room of some sentence or complex part of it, are stiled Interjections. These are by some denyed to be words, or any part of distinct speech, but only natural signs of our mental notions, or passions, expressed by such rude incondite sounds, several of which are common with us to Brute Creatures. And as all Nations of men do agree in these kind of na∣tural passions, so likewise do they very much agree in the signs or in∣dications of their mirth, sorrow, love, hatred, &c.

These kind of Particles are generally expressed by aspirated sounds, affectum enim notant,*& ideo confertus editur spiritus, because of that affection and vehemence, which is commonly denoted by them.

The kinds of these may be very numerous, according to the various motions and passions of the mind; but those that are of the most fre∣quent and general use, may be reduced under these three combinations, whereof the first only is single, the other two double.

The two first Combinations may be styled Solitary and Passive, be∣ing used by us when we are alone,* or not so directly tending to dis∣course with others, in which the Party speaks as suffering some muta∣tion in himself. They are the result, either of a surprized.

I.

• Iudgment, denoting either
• 1. Admiration. Heigh.
• 2. Doubting or considering. Hem, Hm, Hy.
• 3. Despising. Pish, Shy, Tysh.
• Affection; moved by the Apprehension of Good or Evil.

II. Past;

• Mirth. Ha, ha, he.
• Sorrow. Hoi, oh, oh, ah.

Present;

• Love, and pity, Ah, alack, alas.
• Hate, and anger, vauh, hau.

Future;

• *Desire, O, o that.
• Aversation, Phy.

The last Combination may be stiled Social and Active, being never used by us when we are alone, but immediately tending to discourse with others, in which the party speaks with design to procure some mutation in his Hearers. These may be distinguished into such as are

III.

• Precedaneous to discourse.
  • Exclaiming. Oh, Soho.
  • Silencing. St, Hush.
• Beginning of discourse.
  • General; to dispose the senses of the Hearer.
    • Bespeaking attention. Ho, Oh.
    • Expressing attention. Ha.
  • Special; to dispose the Affections of the Hearer by way of
    • Insinuation or blandishment. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Eia, Now.
    • Threatning.〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Vae, Wo.