Nnnyahh!

Illustration of a screaming, taunting child with his thumbs in his ears, fingers wiggling, and tongue out. His scream is illustrated in large blue letters inside an agitated text bubble. The image sits on a white background. 

"Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah" is a widespread children's taunt. These words are often sung to the tune of "Ring Around the Rosie," with the child's hands to their ears and tongue sticking out. While unassuming, this practice is actually a fascinating example of convergent musical development. As composer Leonard Bernstein noted in a lecture at Harvard University, "Research seems to indicate that this exact constellation of two notes (descending minor third), and its three-note variant, is the same all over the world, wherever children tease each other, on every continent and in every culture. In short, we may have here a clear case of a musical-linguistic universal."