rvi

2y

something translating to "ow" to express pain

Tkken

2y

but I feel like you can express pain in so many ways without an explicit word for it

like groaning, wincing, pointing etc.

if the question is 'what was the first sound that a group of people decided should consistently refer to something' I don't think it would be pain because there wasnt really a need for it

especially bc pain is something you express in the moment rather than something you have to talk about abstractly

fashion killa

2y

too much of a reach

more of a reaction than a word, the same way a gasp or moan isn't really a word either

rvi

2y

i dont think the thread can have a true answer because its hard to know when to draw the line and verbal communication becomes true language. its still interesting though

like grunting at someone to say hello. grunting along with body language to mean "yes". do those count?

rvi

2y

it felt kinda like cheating because theres a thin line between just yelling out in pain like an animal can and consciously yelling "ow" to express your pain. i think there is an evolutionary reason why we yell out in pain (animals too) or else we wouldnt do it as such a reflex

it can help others around us know we are in trouble which is good for survival

rvi

2y

i dont think the thread can have a true answer because its hard to know when to draw the line and verbal communication becomes true language. its still interesting though

like grunting at someone to say hello. grunting along with body language to mean "yes". do those count?

rvi

2y

its in the dictionary so specify if we need to a say a "true" word then specify what a true word is

Tkken

2y

I guess it becomes a question of what a person means by word and whether sounds that are approximately similar could count as an ancient word

or whether it had to be explicitly decided upon that x sound refers to y

because if its the latter I would stick with an answer like 'water' but if its the former I would 100% go with expressions for pain or a greeting

rvi

2y

something translating to "ow" to express pain

rvi

2y

it felt kinda like cheating because theres a thin line between just yelling out in pain like an animal can and consciously yelling "ow" to express your pain. i think there is an evolutionary reason why we yell out in pain (animals too) or else we wouldnt do it as such a reflex

it can help others around us know we are in trouble which is good for survival

Elric

2y

Is that an onomatopoeia is that just the sound we make

fashion killa

2y

its just the sound we make

internet buddy

2y

“bruh…”

Elric

2y

Since 1654 apparently

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/ouch

SlicedBread

2y

nigga saw fire for the first time and said "bruh"