Dear LPG readers,

Not so long ago, in the early morning hours, I had reason to engage in my usual early morning habit of swapping a surfing session on my tablet for what most people do: sleeping. Being a habitual insomniac, I find internet browsing better than glaring at the ceiling for hours on end in the hope that I will nod off again. I found something interesting on the day in question and decided to share it.

I think that most of us will agree that homo sapiens are all individuals, but there are some fundamental experiences that we all have in common no matter where in the world we live…

That morning, I thought about one of those generic reactions that we all succumb to at some point. I defy anyone to have reached retirement age without either hitting their finger with a hammer, stubbing their toe, treading on something sharp or pointy, walking into a very clean pane of glass that they did not realise was there or inflicting some manner of instant, short-term self-inflicted pain, all be it by accident.

If the pain is not so intense that profanity is needed, what is your verbal reaction?

I would choose ‘Ouch,’ but a quick tap on the screen taught me that there are many ways to say that word, depending on which country you were in when you first needed to utter it.  

You might ask why anyone would need to know anything about this subject.  The answer is I don’t know, but I suppose that if you are a bit of a globe trotter, you might find a version of the word that might be a little more readily understood in the country that you happen to be in when calamity hits, and perhaps being able to recognise someone else’s utterance might give an indication of where they spent their childhood.  The thing about whichever word pops out is that once you learn it, it is never forgotten.   Whichever version you know is stored somewhere in your subconscious; when needed, it just happens.  

The other thing that interested me is that according to all the internet information I have found on the subject, whatever the language, this reactive word is always uttered with a degree of exclamation and nearly always begins with a vowel or letter that you have to start saying with your mouth open… No doubt that is because there is nearly always an element of sudden surprise just before you say it… 

Just an observation… 

 
NF, Crofton Park

NF offers some online tutorials…

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… and a website where you can find most translations…

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