interjections

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses a sudden feeling or reaction and is structurally outside the main clause of a sentence. It is typically standalone or set off by punctuation and does not have a grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence.

Interjections cover a wide range of emotions, such as surprise, pain, joy, hesitation, or disgust. Common examples in English include Oh, Wow, Ouch, Alas, Hey, and Ah. They may also serve as discourse markers in longer speech or as fillers, such as Um or Uh, which help manage turn-taking or indicate hesitation.

Interjections are found in many languages and often have unique forms appropriate to culture and tone. They are usually short, phonologically prominent, and may be orthographically marked with exclamation points or by capitalization.

Semantic and syntactic notes: Interjections do not typically participate in the sentence's syntactic structure; they are not subjects or predicates. They can occur at sentence-initial, mid-sentence, or even as responses. In dialogue and narrative, interjections convey the speaker's attitude and can influence pacing and emphasis.

Etymology: The term interjection comes from Latin interjectio "a throwing in between," reflecting their role as asides inserted into discourse. In linguistic descriptions, interjections may be categorized as affective or discursive expressions and as fillers in discourse.