INTERJECTIONS.

Definition.
334. Interjections are exclamations used to express emotion, and are not parts of speech in the same sense
as the words we have discussed; that is, entering into the structure of a sentence.
Some of these are imitative sounds; as, tut! buzz! etc.
Humph! attempts to express a contemptuous nasal utterance that no letters of our language can really spell.
Not all exclamatory words are interjections.
Other interjections are oh! ah! alas! pshaw! hurrah! etc. But it is to be remembered that almost any word may
be used as an exclamation, but it still retains its identity as noun, pronoun, verb, etc.: for example, "Books!
lighthouses built on the sea of time [noun];" "Halt! the dust-brown ranks stood fast [verb]," "Up! for shame!
[adverb]," "Impossible! it cannot be [adjective]."
Interjection
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In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a lexical category used as a way to refer to some mentioned or
understood noun without a grammatical connection with the rest of the sentence, by simply expressing an
isolated emotion on the part of the speaker (although most interjections have clear definitions). Filled pauses
such as uh, er, um, are also considered interjections. Interjections are typically placed at the beginning of a
sentence or in a sentence by themselves.
The word "interjection" literally means "thrown in between" from the Latin inter ("between") and iacere ("throw").
Interjections are generally uninflected function words and have sometimes been seen as sentence-words,
because they can replace or be replaced by a whole sentence (they are holophrastic). Sometimes, however,
interjections combine with other words to form sentences, but not with finite verbs. When an exclamation point
is not needed, a comma can take the place.
Interjections are used when the speaker encounters events that cause emotions. The emotions are often
strong (surprise, disgust, joy, excitement, enthusiasm, etc.), but are not necessarily so (boredom, irritation, mild
surprise, etc.). However, several languages have interjections that cannot be related to emotions.
Contents
[hide]
1 Examples in English


o 1.1 Phonology
2 See also
3 Notes
[edit] Examples in English
Conventions like Hi, Bye and Goodbye are interjections, as are exclamations like Cheers! and Hurray!. In fact
like a noun or a pronoun, very often they are characterized by exclamation marks depending on the stress of
the attitude or the force of the emotion they are expressing. Well (a short form of "that is well") can also be used
as an interjection: "Well! That's great!" or "Well, don't worry." Much profanity (expletive) takes the form of
interjections. Some linguists consider the pro-sentences yes, no, amen and okay as interjections, since they
have no syntactical connection with other words and rather work as sentences themselves. Expressions
"Excuse me!", "Sorry!", and similar ones often serve as interjections. Interjections can be phrases or even
sentences, as well as words, such as "Oh!" or "Wow!".
[edit] Phonology
Several English interjections contain sounds that do not, or very rarely, exist in regular English phonological
inventory. For example:
Ahem [m], [m], [m], or [hm], ("attention!") may contain a glottal stop or voiced glottal
fricative in any dialect of English; the glottal stop is common in American English and some British dialects,
however, and in other languages, such as German.
Shh [] ("quiet!") is an entirely consonantal syllable.
Ps [ps] ("here!"), also spelled psst, is another entirely consonantal syllable-word, and its consonant cluster
does not occur initially in regular English words.
Tut-tut [ ] ("shame..."), also spelled tsk-tsk, is made up entirely of clicks, which are an active part of regular
speech in several African languages. This particular click is dental. (This also has the spelling pronunciation
[tt tt].)
Ugh [x] ("disgusting!") ends with a velar fricative consonant, which otherwise does not exist in English,
though is common in languages like Spanish, German, and Gaelic .
Whew or phew [u] ("what a relief!"), also spelled shew, may start with a bilabial fricative, a sound
pronounced with a strong puff of air through the lips. This sound is a common phoneme in such languages as
Suki (a language of New Guinea) and Ewe and Logba (both spoken in Ghana).
Gah ("Gah, there's nothing to do!") ends with [h], which does not occur with regular English words.
Yeah [j] ("yes") ends with the short vowel [], which is not found in any regular English words.