what is onomatopoeia?
onomatopoeia definition
onomatopoeia indicates a word that sounds like what it refers to or describes. the letter sounds combined in the word mimic the natural sound of the object or action, such as hiccups.
use of onomatopoeia in literature
Onomatopoeia is used by writers and poets as figurative language to create an enhanced experience for the reader. onomatopoeic words are descriptive and provide a sensory effect and vivid images in terms of sight and sound.
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common examples of onomatopoeia
- the buzzing bee flew away.
- the sack fell into the river with a splash.
- the books fell onto the table with a loud thump.
- watched the roar
- the whisper > the leaves kept me awake.
Different animal sounds are also considered examples of onomatopoeia. you will easily recognize the following sounds:
- meow
- moo
- neigh
- tweet
- oink
- baa
groups of onomatopoeic words
Onomatopoeic words come in combinations as they reflect different sounds from a single object. for example, a group of words that reflect different sounds of water are: plop, splash, gush, spray, drizzle and drip.
Similarly, words like growl, laugh, snarl, mumble, blurt, and chatter denote different types of sounds in the human voice.
In addition, we can identify a group of words related to different sounds of the wind, such as swish, swoosh, whiff, whoosh, whizz, and whisper.
onomatopoeia in comics
comics show their own examples of different types of onomatopoeia. different comics use different panels where the bubbles show different types of sounds. although sometimes the authors and illustrators show the exact sounds of the animals, or the sound of something falling or of some machines, sometimes they also create their own sounds. these sounds depend on the inventiveness of both the illustrator and the writer. most of these sounds are crash, zap, pow, bang, or the repetition of different letters in quick succession with the intention of creating an impression of sound.
impacts of onomatopoeia
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onomatopoeia creates not only rhythm but also beats, as poets try to create sounds by imitating sound makers. these sounds create a sensory impression in the minds of readers that they understand. readers also understand the impacts of sounds, their possible meanings, and their roles in creating those meanings. when used in poetry, onomatopoeia creates a rhythmic pattern that mimics sounds in reality. this movement of sounds back and forth shows the onomatopoeic use of words to create a metric pattern and rhyme scheme.
use of onomatopoeia in sentences
- When cats cry meow, meow, it means they are hungry.
- As soon as the mother heard the bell sing ding dong, she ran excitedly to open the door.
- when he fell, there was a ‘buzz’ that caused a big splash in the water that made the other swimmers get up.
- when mathew dropped his cell phone, he heard a ‘crash’, that made him brought her to tears immediately.
- Once upon a time, Jeanie rubbed an old lamp and ‘poof’, a real genie appeared in front of her.
examples of onomatopoeia in literature
Onomatopoeia is frequently used in literature. we note, in the following examples, the use of onomatopoeia gives rhythm to the texts. this makes the descriptions more lively and interesting, appealing directly to the reader’s senses.
The following are some examples of onomatopoeia in bold:
example #1: low, maiden, by alfred lord tennyson
“the groaning of the doves in the immemorial elms, and the murmuring of innumerable bees…”
example #2: william shakespeare’s storm
“listen, listen! woof woof. watchdogs bark! woof woof. listen, listen! I hear the tension of the strutting sing-song, ‘cock-a-diddle-dow!’”
example #3: for whom the bell tolls by ernest hemingway
“he didn’t see or hear anything, but he could feel his heart beating and then he heard the clack on the stone and the clicks jumping and falling from a small rock falling .”
example #4: tom paxton’s wonder toy
“it would zip when it moved, bop when it stopped, and buzz when it stopped. I never knew exactly what it was and I guess I never will.”
example #5: take me to church on time by alan jay lerner and frederick loewe
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“I’m getting married in the morning! ding dong! the bells are going to ring.”
examples #6: edgar allen poe’s bells
keeping time, time, time, as he tolls, tolls, tolls, in happy runic rhyme, to the roll of bells—of bells, bells , bells— to the ringing of the bells, of the bells, bells, bells, bells— bells, bells, bells— to the groaning and the groaning > of the bells.
onomatopoeia and fanopoeia
onomatopoeia, in its most complicated use, takes the form of fanopoeia. fanopeia is a form of onomatopoeia that describes the meaning of things, rather than their natural sounds. d. h. lawrence, in his snake poem, illustrates the use of this form:
“he squatted down from a fissure in the earthen wall in the gloom and dragged his limp yellowish brown down over the edge of the stone channel and rested his throat on the stone bottom, and where the water had trickled from the tap, in a small clarity drank with his mouth straight…”
The rhythm and length of the lines above, along with the use of “hissing” sounds, create an image of a snake in readers’ minds.
onomatopoeia function
Words are usually used to say what is happening. onomatopoeia, on the other hand, helps readers hear the sounds of the words they reflect. therefore, the reader cannot avoid entering the world created by the poet with the help of these words. the beauty of onomatopoeic words lies in the fact that they are meant 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 it conveys an idea forcefully to readers. the use of onomatopoeic words helps create emphasis.
synonyms of onomatopoeia
onomatopoeia has no synonyms. however, some words come very close to it in meanings such as sounds, sound imitation, onomatope, alliteration, echo, echoism, and mimesis. however, they have different meanings of their own.