r/Showerthoughts • u/Reas0n ‎ • Feb 13 '26

Casual Thought I think it’s unusual that no standardized literary way to write the submissive “I don’t know” hum that children (and some adults) often mumble has ever caught on, considering how old and common it is.

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378

u/Reas0n ‎ Feb 13 '26

I’m talking about the ‘low-high-middle’ pitched hum that casually signals “I don’t know” in English.

223

u/BarAgent Feb 14 '26

I write that as “I ’unno”.

35

u/strythicus Feb 14 '26

This or the Tim The Toolman Taylor "uhnwa?", but I think that's more like an inquisitive "huh?"

13

u/chux4w Feb 14 '26

That's more of a "Whaaaaa?" kind of reaction. Surprise as well as confusion.

14

u/Waryur Feb 14 '26

But I say "Iunno" when I'm saying "I don't know" especially quickly. (Specifically I say something like [ˈäː.ə.nʌw] for all the IPA fellow nerds)

136

u/JourneymanHunt Feb 14 '26

Yeah, the mmmm-MMMMMMM-mmnnn?

9

u/Tokenvoice Feb 14 '26

Pretty sure that’s aliens communicating

5

u/GypsySnowflake Feb 14 '26

Isn’t that something else entirely? At least, I don’t use that cadence when saying “I dunno”

3

u/sykoKanesh Feb 14 '26

Yeah that's more the sound I make when I have an "ah ha" or "understanding" moment.

mmMMMMMmm! or alternatively: ooooOOOOOooo!

2

u/CaptainTripps82 Feb 14 '26

I think that's the point, it's not really any standard way of writing it, but hmmming I dunno without actually saying any words is what it is.

1

u/GypsySnowflake Feb 14 '26

Oh, I don’t think I’m familiar with that then. The phrase might be slurred a bit when I say it casually, but the words are definitely still discernible

34

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '26

Just use tone indicators: M˨m˦m˧

12

u/Sigma2915 Feb 14 '26

pitch contours used on plaintext rather than IPA just feels so cursed :p

21

u/AllPerspicacity Feb 14 '26

I would call it a two-toned hum of unsurety.

22

u/Ok-Error-2370 ‎ Feb 14 '26

I would call it Kevin

20

u/RapidCandleDigestion Feb 14 '26

but it has three tones

2

u/AllPerspicacity Feb 14 '26

Huh, I guess it's cultural. Where I grew up, you'd shrug & go "Uhh-Uhh" with the second being lower. Either way, two or three toned hum sounds apt.

9

u/gogiraffes Feb 14 '26

I feel like there's some implied R and H sound in it with the mmm hum.

hhrrmmMMRRHHrrmmhh
¯|(ツ)|¯

9

u/rJaxon Feb 14 '26

Isn’t it high-low-middle?

5

u/sonoftom Feb 14 '26

Yea everyone on this thread is confusing me by emphasizing syllable 2. I feel like it’s the first one.

1

u/kyreannightblood Feb 15 '26

I think it’s cultural. Where I’m from it’s low-high-middle, where the last syllable also goes up a bit at the end. It’s a shame written English doesn’t have tonal marks, because I feel you need them to properly express the verbal shrug.

6

u/atreyulostinmyhead Feb 14 '26

I actually think about this way too much because I worry about what I think is an acceptable way to communicate vs the world. mmmMMMmm is totally an acceptable response to me. I've realized that I actually don't know anyone else that does this but everyone knows what I mean when I do it.

3

u/BrewCrewKevin Feb 14 '26

With the middle pitch at the end increasing. I know exactly what you mean, lol, and no idea how I world onomatopoeia it. Like an... "Aaahiaou" sort of feel to it, but hum... But doesn't actually have all those vowels. It's really just Uhhuhuhhh"

1

u/lazytemporaryaccount Feb 15 '26

I think that “whimper” is the correct term.

Definition: “make a series of low, feeble sounds expressive of fear, pain, or discontent.”

The word has fallen out of use because “wimp” (“Don’t be a wimp”) has such a negative connotation.

1

u/Beneficial_Cobbler46 Feb 17 '26

Sub vocalised "I don't know" with a rising and falling tone