My three languages are German, English and French (only rather badly). In colloquial speech and also in stories, the sound of a sneeze in German is usually rendered as “Hatschi!” and in French as “Atchoum!”. But I can’t remember to ever have heard an analogous expression in English, so is there any? I’d also like to hear examples from other languages you know.
I’ve seen it as mostly “achoo” with occasionally “atchoo” depending on who you’re sneezing at: Who are you sneezing at? Atchoo!
Ah, now I remember having read “achoo/atchoo” somewhere some time. It’s more similar to the French expression than the German.
It’s “hacu” in Esperanto.
Oh, definitely; I’d go so far as to say we got it from the French — seeing as how I was unaware of the French version until just now.
So explain “coco-rico” (obviously spelled wrong).
My wife does a stifled snort while I do the full ACH-OO!
She was brought up to conceal sneezes as “unladylike”, I was told that stifling a sneeze is dangerous (makes your head explode).
I don’t how he spelled it or how formal a “word” it was, but I had a Pakistani colleague who when sneezing came out with “Ess-SHU!”
I remember Spanish textbooks having “achis”…
In Hebrew, it’s Aptchi.
That’s the sound a chicken makes in Hebrew.
So you missed Dave Chappelle’s character in Robin Hood: Men In Tights?
Cary Elwes | Cary Elwes | … | Robin Hood |
---|---|---|---|
Richard Lewis | Richard Lewis | … | Prince John |
Roger Rees | Roger Rees | … | Sheriff of Rottingham |
Amy Yasbeck | Amy Yasbeck | … | Marian |
Mark Blankfield | Mark Blankfield | … | Blinkin |
Dave Chappelle | Dave Chappelle | … | Ahchoo |
Isaac Hayes | Isaac Hayes | … | Asneeze |
Never seen the film, and I’ve heard it’s not really Mel Brooks’ best work.
You didn’t miss much. The name was one of the “high” points.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Hatch.
Hatch who?
Gesundheit!
And yes, the German “Gesundheit” is in relatively common use in English, as what you say after a sneeze (also “God bless you”). Not for any other purpose, though.
Etciù in Italian
Brazilians say A-ching
I remember that from junior high German class, but it didn’t sound very German.
You mean, that’s what the sound is in German as well?
It’s sort of a Koo(long) koo(short) ri(short) Koo(long) which, IMHO, actually sounds pretty much exactly like a real rooster’s call if you put some flair into it. It’s certainly closer than “cock-a-doodle-doo”
I don’t think our teacher pronounced it correctly; yours sounds much better. Of course, our class was a bunch of smart asses and we would tell each other to Kuss mein Esel (there should be an umlaut over the ‘u’; my tablet won’t oblige) constantly, knowing full well that was incorrect.
I wish I’d taken more Deutsch in school.