How to Sneeze in 10 Languages

Going on a trip abroad? Be a polite tourist by sneezing in the language of your host country. James Chapman drew this cartoon in response to a fascinating article in BBC News. It claims that the sounds that we make when we sneeze are entirely culturally-driven. There's no biological imperative to express a sneeze a particular way:

Inserting words into sneezes - and our responses such as "bless you" - are cultural habits we pick up along the way. So it's not surprising that British deaf people, particularly users of sign language, don't think to add the English word "achoo" to this most natural of actions.

For deaf people, "a sneeze is what it should be... something that just happens", says Swinbourne in his article.

He even attempts to describe what an achoo-free deaf sneeze sounds like: "[There is] a heavy breath as the deep pre-sneeze breath is taken, then a sharper, faster sound of air being released."

In my family, we have a quirk that we call the Farrier Sneeze. It has passed down in the male members of the family for at least 3 generations. When we sneeze, we give a little shout. We have no idea why. Perhaps it's just an involuntary custom that we've developed.

-via 22 Words


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Maybe you are related to my mom, though her shout isn't little. One doesn't want to be in a car when she sneezes. It's so loud, it'll hurts your ears!
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Max Brookks' definitive Zombie Survival Guide also discusses the advantages of bikes- along with what's already noted, they are easier to repair than a car, and if you have to, you can carry them over/around obstacles. I suspect they don't get used much in zombie movies because it IS hard to look cool riding one.
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Terrible Idea about the armor. Unless it's super lightweight. During an apocalypse, every ounce you carry has to be counted. Same thing applies to people who go hunting in the mountains or any rough terrain. They literally weigh energy bars and make everything perfectly efficient in their backpacks.
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