There ought to be a dictionary with suggestions of how to spell all those little noises and exclamations that people make.

I use 'um' and 'er' a fair bit, they're OK. But just now I wanted a character to make a dismissive 'pah' sort of noise, the verbal equivalent of a shrug. I put 'pah', but would people recognise that? Maybe it's more of a 'phah!' (like 'phooey'.

Trouble is, in real life, our speech is littered with these sorts of non-verbal sounds. Too many in written dialogue looks odd and makes it lumps and hard to read. But every now and then you absolutely need one of 'em. And I can never spell 'em. Not that there is a right way, I don't suppose. It's rendering it sufficiently clear that the reader recognises and hears the right noise in her head, I guess.

Any advice/suggestions/comments?

Rosy

I've used 'meh' for a rather ambivalent shrug type sound before.

I recognise 'pah!'. Sort of scornful or sniffy. 'Huh!' too. But I agree, it's not esay. But then maybe round about 1880 they were fretting about how to transliterate 'crikey!' and 'gosh!'

Emma

'pah' works for me.

I seem to remember a lot of the books I read / had read to me as a kid had those sorts of expressions in them. Adults were always using them when caught up to no good, for instance. You might do worse than casting your eye over an assortment of Enid Blyton books & see what you can find.

There's a fair bit in Wodehouse too, though he treats it as an object of satire ("Faugh!" etc) which maybe suggests that at an earlier time such usage was more commonly found in novels.

I think "pah" is pretty well accepted. It's right up there with "tsk" and "garn".

I've seen 'tsk' spelt 'tch' but prefer the former. Maybe it's an accent thing as I've used 'Ach', before now, for an un-scottish form of 'Och'.

I'd understand 'pah' although it usually sounds more like 'puh'. In the right context, I think anything that gives a phonetic representation would do.

I'm rather fond of "pshaw".

OK - thanks for the advice, folks.

Rosy

Pah and tsk I recognise, but not garn. What does that mean?

Deb

Scholarly treatise on meaning and use of "garn" here:

http://www.accurapid.com/journal/32garn.htm#1

I'm sure I first came across it in a book I read as a child, as uttered by one of those stock characters who lurk in alleyways, wear peculiar hats, chew (and of course subsequently spit out) tobacco and are full of cryptic but possibly meaningful sayings...

It's in Pygmalion which I've just been reading, Eliza says it. Actually it's quite good for noise/ sounds.

Thanks Rupert - interesting. Sorry - not sure why I didn't look it up in the dictionary - I think I didn't expect it to be there!

Deb

It's the little ticks in peoples speech which can often reveal and add character. I personally think, and I am no expert, that in the right context you can use anything. Then use it again and again. Adds to character and people will understand. Just my two pence worth, pah!