Onomatopoeia

What Is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a linguistic term used to describe words that imitate or evoke the sound of what they represent. Examples of onomatopoeic words include "buzz," "hiss," "meow," "splash," and "thump." These words are created by the use of phonetic sounds that closely resemble the actual sound of the object or action being described.

Onomatopoeia is a common feature of many languages and can be found in literature, poetry, and everyday speech. The use of onomatopoeic words can help to create vivid imagery and enhance the sensory experience for the reader or listener.

Easy Examples of Onomatopoeia

A lot of onomatopoeic words relate to:

• bawl, belch, chatter, giggle, growl, grunt, mumble, murmur, whisper

• flap, flutter, fizz, hiss, swish, swoosh, waft, whiff, whoosh, whizz

• dribble, drip, drizzle, gurgle, plop, splash, sploosh, sprinkle, squirt

• bang, clang, clank, clap, clatter, click, clink, ding, dong, jingle, jangle, screech, slap, smack, smash, thud, thump

• baa, bark, buzz, cheep, chirp, cluck, meow, moo, neigh, oink, purr, quack, ribbit, tweet, warble

Real-Life Examples of Onomatopoeia

• The NASA humans-to-Mars program is all sizzle and no steak. (Aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin)
("Sizzle" sounds like steak frying.)
• When you put something on, you zip yourself into it, and you're secure in there. (Fashion designer L'Wren Scott)
("Zip" sounds like a zip being operated.)
• Love and a cough cannot be hidden. (Welsh poet George Herbert)
("Cough" sounds like a cough.)

Onomatopoeic words can represent the noise itself, an object, or an action.

• I could hear the sizzle of the sausage.
(The noise itself)
• This sausage is a real sizzler.
(An object)
• The sausage sizzled on the fire.
(An action)

A word with onomatopoeic property in one meaning might not have it in another.

• If you tap the bottom, the cork will pop out the top.
("Pop" sounds like a cork exiting a bottle.)
• If you tap your bottom, the bodyguard will pop out the room.
(In this context, "pop" is not an onomatopoeic word.)

Why Onomatopoeia Is Important

Onomatopoeia is useful in poetry, creative writing, and even business writing as it brings writing to life by appealing to the hearing sense.

That aside, if you're analysing someone else's writing and they've used onomatopoeia, you ought to recognize it. This means you will need to spell "onomatopoeia." If you don't have access to a spellchecker, here's a tip: Trust yourself to get it right as far as the "p" and then write just the vowels in the word "comedian."

Key Point