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Onomatopoeia Definition

Onomatopoeia and echoism are related terms referring to the imitation of sounds in language. Onomatopoeia uses words that phonetically imitate the sounds they describe, such as "buzz" or "splash". There are several types of onomatopoeia including words that directly imitate sounds, words that evoke sounds, made-up words, and sequences of letters. Onomatopoeia enhances descriptions and engages readers by invoking the sounds being portrayed through language.

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Anggelia Natalsya Emor
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260 views3 pages

Onomatopoeia Definition

Onomatopoeia and echoism are related terms referring to the imitation of sounds in language. Onomatopoeia uses words that phonetically imitate the sounds they describe, such as "buzz" or "splash". There are several types of onomatopoeia including words that directly imitate sounds, words that evoke sounds, made-up words, and sequences of letters. Onomatopoeia enhances descriptions and engages readers by invoking the sounds being portrayed through language.

Uploaded by

Anggelia Natalsya Emor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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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.

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