Huh? Linguists discover what may be a nearly universal word. (Really!)

Humble 'Huh?' Might Be Rare Universal Word

"The researchers found the word in widely different languages ranging from Icelandic to Mandarin Chinese to West African Siwu, reports the New York Times. And though it may sound a bit different in some tongues—more like "ah" or "eh"—it remains fundamentally the same."

Original study: "Is 'Huh?' a Universal Word? Conversational Infrastructure and the Convergent Evolution of Linguistic Items" http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0078273

News coverage:
http://www.newser.com/story/177293/humble-huh-might-be-rare-universal-word.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/09/arts/that-syllable-everyone-recognizes.html?_r=0

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-huh-20131109,0,4266398.story#axzz2k96jr1D7