Onomatopoeia is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as oink, meow, roar, and chirp.
Animal Sounds: Moo – sound of a cow Oink – sound of a pig Baa – sound of a sheep Meow – sound of a cat Woof – sound of a dog barking Quack – sound of a duck Chirp – sound of a bird Hiss – sound of a snake Roar – sound of a lion or other large animals Buzz – sound of a bee
Human Sounds: Sneeze – sound of a sneeze Cough – sound of a cough Hiccup – sound of a hiccup Giggle – light laughter Chuckle – low, soft laughter Groan – a sound of discomfort or pain Whisper – a soft talking sound Mumble – talking quietly and unclearly Creak – sound of something old or wooden moving Whistle – sound made by blowing air through lips or a small instrument
Object/Action Sounds: Bang – a loud, sudden noise, like an explosion Crash – sound of something breaking or hitting hard Clang – metallic sound, like two metal objects hitting each other Sizzle – sound of something frying Pop – sound of something bursting, like a balloon Snap – sound of something breaking or a quick, sharp sound Tick-tock – sound of a clock Rustle – sound of leaves or paper moving Whirr – sound of something spinning quickly, like a fan Clap – sound made by hands striking together
Nature Sounds: Splash – sound of something hitting the water Thud – sound of something heavy hitting the ground Whoosh – sound of something moving fast through the air Crackle – sound of a fire burning Gurgle – sound of water flowing or bubbling Rumble – deep, rolling sound, like thunder Pitter-patter – sound of light rain Boom – deep, loud sound, like thunder Zoom – sound of something moving quickly, often used for cars
Machine/Technology Sounds: Click – sound of a button being pressed or something snapping into place Beep – short, high-pitched sound, like from a microwave or computer Hum – sound of a machine running smoothly Ring – sound of a phone or bell Buzz – sound of a phone vibrating or an electrical device
Miscellaneous Sounds: Crack – sound of something breaking or snapping Bloop – sound of a small object dropping into water Plop – sound of something dropping softly Swish – sound of something moving quickly through the air Flick – quick, light snapping sound, like flipping a switch
Hat’s off to Elder G!
Cartoon Onomatope
Mad Magazine’s Don Martin – the King of Onomatope
Onomatope In Poetry
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature. – Wikipedia
“The Bells” is a heavily onomatopoeic poem by Edgar Allan Poe which was not published until after his death in 1849. It is perhaps best known for the diacopic use of the word “bells”. The poem has four parts to it; each part becomes darker and darker as the poem progresses from “the jingling and the tinkling” of the bells in part 1 to the “moaning and the groaning” of the bells in part 4. – Wikipedia
Hear the sledges with the bells- Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night! While the stars that oversprinkle All the heavens, seem to twinkle With a crystalline delight; Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells- From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a tale their terror tells Of Despair! How they clang, and clash, and roar! What a horror they outpour On the bosom of the palpitating air! Yet the ear it fully knows, By the twanging, And the clanging,
- excerpts from The Bells, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Twine (unpublished poem by UC#4)
The twisting, twisting snarled and snared fibrous monstrosity lodged in my hair
But no! What cordage, what unwholesome adulteration to my sweets above What filament of thread, a twine unwanted surprise, defiles my dessert, I plea For what cheesecake I loved with a love that was more than love A desecration of my coveted and angelic Sara Lee
Hemp fibers left to decay and rot Quoth the Raven, "Never WLBOTT"
Sounds like English?
I asked Elder G if he was familiar with a humorous Italian music video, where the singer “pretends” to sing in English.
Yes, I’m familiar with the song you’re referring to! It’s called “Prisencolinensinainciusol,” written and performed by the Italian musician Adriano Celentano in 1972. The song is famous because it was designed to sound like English to non-English speakers, but the lyrics are actually complete gibberish. Celentano wanted to capture the feeling of what English sounds like to those who don’t understand it.
The music video is also quite entertaining, featuring Celentano and a group of dancers in a lively performance. The song and video play with the concept of language and communication, making it a fascinating and humorous cultural artifact.
