Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite

Wikipedia says alveolar clicks are found only in Africa/Australia, which isn't true at all.

For instance, there's the one usually done twice in rapid succession with the tongue against the upper side teeth/gums - to "gee up" a horse, indicate "mock-conspiratorial" agreement, etc.

So far as I know, we don't even attempt an onomatopoeic written representation of that one, but the one formed by suction against the back of the front teeth/palate is normally written as either "tut" or "tsk". Sometimes people actually say "tut" or "tut-tut" (presumably, influenced by the written form).

But I've never heard anybody say anything remotely resembling "tsk". So where does the "k" come from in that written representation?

share|improve this question
1  
Well, if they wanted to write it in the first place, they had to write something, didn't they? And exclamation point was already taken. "Tsk" has the advantage that it's unpronounceable and not confusable with any other word. Plus it starts with the same consonant as "tut", which is a vocalized version that also occurs, in print and in speech (though it sounds awfully dated now). – John Lawler Mar 1 '12 at 0:58
@FumbleFingers - I agree that clicks are common. I find that the one to express disapproval is at the front of the mouth, and the one to get the horse to go is made with the side of the tongue against the side of the roof of the mouth. It seems to me that both are made with an entirely different air flow than the letter "T". – Julia Mar 1 '12 at 1:25
1  
@Michel Keijzers: Ah! "Tsss" would make more sense to me! I take it you still apply this to the same "suction click" I'm talking about here? – FumbleFingers Mar 1 '12 at 1:59
1  
I've heard people say "tisk, tisk" an "tut tut" about as often as the...um...alveolar/dental click. – Mitch Mar 1 '12 at 2:58
1  
The other alternative to tsk and tut that I see is tch. – Matt Эллен Mar 1 '12 at 15:04
show 8 more comments

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

Presumably for the same reason that dogs barking don't say "woof". "Tsk" is a phonetic sound that corresponds roughly to the tutting sound. I note that my tongue and teeth end up in roughly the same part of my mouth when I say "tsk" as when I tut, whereas saying "tut" gives a totally different mouth shape.

share|improve this answer
This answer reminds me of the joke where the dog says, "Was I supposed to say DiMaggio?" – J.R. Mar 1 '12 at 1:25
haha - dogs don't say "woof" because they can't read! Whereas people sometimes say "tut" simply because they can read! – FumbleFingers Mar 1 '12 at 1:26
2  
My dog does woof - and my daughter's first "word" was woof since that's what she heard said by the dog. But her second word was "mootz" for milk, so maybe I shouldn't read too much into it. – Julia Mar 1 '12 at 1:32
up vote 0 down vote

Tsk, tsk! Although I haven't been keeping score, I believe I've heard tsk uttered at least as often as I've heard tut. Maybe that's an American thing?

Side note: An Ngram analysis shows that, at least in writing, the two terms are running pretty much neck-at-neck at this juncture. (I opted to compare "tsk, tsk" with "tut, tut" - using a single utterance of each word includes many references to King Tutankhamun, thereby skewing the results).

share|improve this answer
I'm surprised. You really hear people saying "Tsk" in earnest? I think that must be an American thing. I suppose in more than half a lifetime I must have heard it said facetiously a few times, but in my experience when people actually mean it, it's nearly always the alveolar click itself, or very occasionally "tut". – FumbleFingers Mar 1 '12 at 1:47
I believe that the 'k' in 'tsk' is a stop, but I really do hear 'ts'. – Peter Shor Mar 1 '12 at 2:31
1  
@FumbleFIngers: Yes, no joke. Moreover, out of curiosity, I asked my wife, and she said the same thing - she's more likely to hear tsk than tut. (She even said, "Tut... that must be a British thing.") – J.R. Mar 1 '12 at 2:33

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.