Interjections. აუ!!

I like a good interjection. They’re undergoing a revival, I think, thanks to texting and hyperblogging. After all, why waste characters on a full sentence when one little word will do? Don’t know, don’t care, pretending you don’t care, can’t be bothered? Meh. Indignant? Pah! Catastrophic “email-to-wrong-recipient” incident? Ooops!

For language-learners this economy comes in very handy. I got through several oral exams and a two-week French exchange uttering little more than ‘Ah bon’ with varying intonation. You have a hotel room for tonight but with a shower not a bath? Ah bon… (hold on whilst I consider my options). Your sister’s hooked up with your boyfriend? Ah bon?! (amazement). I’ve failed my oral? Ah bon… (resignation).

Georgian interjections – Gawd love ‘em – express with a sensible vowel-to-consonant ratio what might otherwise demand considerable tongue-gymnastics and grammatical dexterity. Constructing a Georgian sentence is a labour-intensive, time-consuming and frankly high-stress endeavour. Georgian interjections, on the other hand, practically leap off the tongue. In addition, they encourage – demand, even – the kind of dramatic delivery rarely warranted by an English interjection, and that’s kinda fun. It’s hard to deliver “Oops” with too much understatement, but აუ! (Auuuu!) ვაა! (Vaaaa!) and ვაი! (Vaiiii!) need delivering with gusto, and if you can throw in some cheek-clawing or wave your hands around a bit, all the better.

So here are my favourites. I use them in English cos they just don’t translate. Next time you see them you’ll know what I’m talking about.

ეხ! Ekhhhhhh! – Resignation with a hint of regret
აუ! Auuuuuuu! – Admiration
ვაააა! Vaaaaaaaa! – Surprised delight and amazement
აბა?! Aba?! – Surprise
აბა?? Aba?? – Appeal, petition
აბა!? Aba!? – Encouragement
აბა!? Aba!? – Hint of threat…
აბა?!?! Aba?!?! – Sense of “Why so surprised? You’re stating the bleedin’ obvious!”

აბა’s quite handy. I use it alot…

I briefly toyed with the idea of basing a Masters dissertation around the Georgian interjection. I didn’t. A few years later someone else did. აბა?!?! What did you expect, woman?!

Ekhhhh!

And, ultimately: Meh.