Onomatopoeia Definition

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 3

Onomatopoeia  

and echoism  are semantically related in turn of expression


topic. In some cases you can use "Onomatopoeia" instead
a noun  "Echoism".

Onomatopoeia Definition
Onomatopoeia, pronounced on-uh-mat-uh–pee–uh, is defined as a word
which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that
mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and
interesting.

For instance, saying, “The gushing stream flows in the forest” is a more
meaningful description than just saying, “The stream flows in the forest.” The
reader is drawn to hear the sound of a “gushing stream,” which makes the
expression more effective.

In addition to the sounds they represent, many onomatopoeic words have


developed meanings of their own. For example, the word “whisper” not only
represents the wispy or breathy sound of people talking quietly, but also
describes the action of people talking quietly.

Common Examples of Onomatopoeia


 The buzzing bee flew away.
 The sack fell into the river with a splash.
 The books fell on the table with a loud thump.
 He looked at the roaring
 The rustling leaves kept me awake.

The Four Types of Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia has a few distinct variants:

 Real words that sound like real things

 Real words made to evoke the sound of real things

 Made-up words that sound like real things


 A series of letters that mimic a “raw” sound

Real Words that Sound Like Real Things

This type of onomatopoeia, which we’ll call conventional onomatopoeia, uses words
whose own sound evokes the sound of real things. The word “meow,” which sounds just
like the sound a cat makes when it actually meows, is a classic example of conventional
onomatopoeia. This is by far the most common type of onomatopoeia.

Real Words Made to Evoke the Sound of Real Things

In this rarer type of onomatopoeia, a word or series of words is used to imitate a real-
world sound, even though the words used don’t mimic that sound themselves. Perhaps
the most famous example of this type of onomatopoeia is Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “The
Bells,” in which Poe repeats the word “bell” 62 times to evoke the sound of a bell ringing
and tolling, even though the word “bell” itself does not itself sound like a bell ringing.

Made-up Words that Sound Like Real Things

Made-up words can fill the void when no word exists to sufficiently capture the nuances
of a real-world sound. For example, when James Joyce needed a word to convey the
sound of someone knocking on a door, he invented “tattarrattat.” Today, almost a
hundred years after he coined it in writing his novel Ulysses, “tattarrattat” has become a
legit word (it’s in the Oxford English Dictionary).

A Series of Letters that Mimic a Raw Sound

Sometimes onomatopoeia involves no words at all, as in examples like “Zzzzzz” to


represent the sound of sleeping or snoring, “hachoo” for a sneezing sound, or “tsk-tsk”
or “tut-tut” to convey the scolding sound we make to express disapproval.

The different sounds of animals are also considered as examples of


onomatopoeia.
 Meow
 Moo
 Neigh
 Tweet
 Oink
 Baa

Groups of Onomatopoeic Words


Onomatopoeic words come in combinations, as they reflect different sounds
of a single object. For example, a group of words reflecting different sounds of
water are: plop, splash, gush, sprinkle, drizzle, and drip.

Similarly, words like growl, giggle, grunt, murmur, blurt, and chatter denote
different kinds of human voice sounds.

Moreover, we can identify a group of words related to different sounds of


wind, such as swish, swoosh, whiff, whoosh, whizz, and whisper.

Function of Onomatopoeia
Generally, words are used to tell what is happening. Onomatopoeia, on the
other hand, helps readers to hear the sounds of the words they reflect. Hence,
the reader cannot help but enter the world created by the poet with the aid of
these words. The beauty of onomatopoeic words lies in the fact that they are
bound to have an effect on the readers’ senses, whether that effect is
understood or not. Moreover, a simple plain expression does not have the
same emphatic effect that conveys an idea powerfully to the readers. The use
of onomatopoeic words helps create emphasis.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy