Huh

What's the most universal utterance in languages across the globe? Huh? Correct! Huh? That's right. Huh? Exactly. Because a new study finds that everybody around the world does indeed say "huh?" The finding is the journal PLOS One. The [researchers:people] were exploring linguistic tools people use to assure fluid communication. In this case, they were looking for an [interjection:translator] that signals that a listener missed something and prompts the speaker to repeat or rephrase the [original:regular] statement. In other words, [something:conducting] that works like the English word "huh?"So they eavesdropped on nearly 200 conversations in 10 [different:important] tongues, from Italian to Icelandic. And they found that, in [language:speaking] after language, a word that sounds a lot like "huh?" gets the job done. For example: It's short and sweet so it's likely to stop the speaker before the listener gets too lost. And it sounds like a question, so it warrants a response. The sound appears not to be innate. Babies don't use it before they say, mama. But most five-year-olds are masters of "huh?" No matter where they come from.