Evoking Emotions and Eliciting Heart-Felt Responses through Exclamatives: Unravelling the Potential of 'aiyyoo' in the English Language

Abstract

The English language is replete with exclamative utterances which convey an array of emotions and evoke strong sentiments that create a lasting impact in the hearts and minds of the users and listeners alike. However, they are not considered as conforming to the regular speech acts of the English language. The entry of aiyyoo, an expression of South Indian origin into the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), propels us to re-visit the Standard and Modified theories of speech acts and to look with fresh eyes at the striking features and contrasting perspectives on exclamatives. This paper dwells on the versatile dimensions of aiyyoo and gathers insights about its unique illocutionary force through the analysis of (a) religious texts, (b) a passage of Indian Writing in English (IWE), (c) some columns in leading English dailies and (d) typical oral Tamil discourses. The various modes of analysis serve to affirm the immense semantic potential of the exclamative. Pragmatically and stylistically, it plays a vital role in our speech acts as it helps to articulate our deepest thoughts and heartfelt emotions. Given the persuasive quality of the exclamative in speech and writing, the usage of aiyyoo should be encouraged to enhance interpersonal communication in the global community.