Boom! Pow! Whoosh! Wham!
All of these words are onomatopoeias, or words that sound like what they describe.
Onomatopoeia [pronounced ˌ’AH-nuh-mah-tuh-PEE-uh’] refers to words whose pronunciations imitate the sounds they describe. A dog’s bark sounds like “woof,” so “woof” is an example of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia can be used to describe the gears of machines working, the horn of a car honking, animals croaking or barking, or any number of other sounds.
However, thereare some words like munch, sigh, or chew that are commonly mistaken for onomatopoeias, but they are not. Does the word ‘munch’ really sound like munching, at all? Or do we just think so because that’s what we call it? Does a sigh really sound like “sigh”? People disagree about these things. Of course, if it works, poetically, it doesn’t really matter. But, when you study literature, you should remember that words for sounds are not always onomatopoeia.
II. Examples of Onomatopoeia
Example 1
Some of the most common instances of onomatopoeias are words for the sounds animals make:
Dogs bark, ruff, woof, arf, and howl. Cats meow, hiss, and purr. Frogs croak, chirp, and ribbit. Cows go moo. Horses neigh and whinny. Lions roar. The rooster goes cock-a-doodle-do!
The list of animal onomatopoeias goes on and on.
Example 2
Another common example of onomatopoeias are the sounds made by water:
Rain pitter-patters, drip-drops, and rat-a-tats on the tin roof. Creeks babble and churn. Lakes ripple. Rivers rush. Oceans crash, roar, and thunder against the shore.
Examples of onomatopoeia surround us. To find other examples, simply ask, “What sound does that make?” Often, the answer will be an example of onomatopoeia.
III. The importance of using Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeias are a valuable way to describe sound, creating the actual sound in the reader’s mind.This creates a vivid reading experience. For example, “The wind howled, hissed, and whooshed” is more expressive than “The wind blew.” Onomatopoeia can provide a poem or prose passage with sound imagery and rhythm which express the mood of the work. Furthermore, it makes descriptions more powerful and gives a sense of reality when readers can hear sounds, while reading words.
IV. Examples of Onomatopoeia in Literature
Onomatopoeias provide readers with exciting, realistic, and evocative descriptions of sound in both poetry and prose.
Example 1
For an example of onomatopoeia in poetry, read this excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells”:
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, How the danger ebbs and flows; Yet the ear distinctly tells, In the jangling And the wrangling, How the danger sinks and swells,— By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells,Of the bells
Poe describes bells which clang, clash, roar, twang, jangle, wrangle, sink, and swell. Such strong descriptions of their ringing serve to evoke feelings of horror, danger, and anger in this dramatic and eerie passage.
Example 2
For a more fun and cheerful example of onomatopoeias in literature, Read this Shel Silverstein’s poem “Noise Day”:
Let’s have one day for girls and boyses
When you can make the grandest noises.
Screech, scream, holler, and yell—
Buzz a buzzer, clang a bell,
Sneeze—hiccup—whistle—shout,
Laugh until your lungs wear out,
Toot a whistle, kick, a can,
Bang a spoon against a pan,
Sing, yodel, bellow, hum,
Blow a horn, beat a drum,
Rattle a window, slam a door,
Scrape a rake across the floor,
Use a drill, drive a nail,
Turn the hose on the garbage pail,
Shout Yahoo—Hurrah—Hooray,
Turn up the music all the way,
Try and bounce your bowling ball,
Ride a skateboard up the wall,
Chomp your food with a smack and a slurp,
Chew—chomp—hiccup—burp.
One day a year do all of these,
The rest of the days—be quiet please.
This poem is essentially a collection of onomatopoeic words such as ‘buzz’ and ‘bang’ and also many evocative words for sounds which are not really onomatopoeia such as ‘scream’ and ‘burp.’ Silverstein celebrates the numerous loud and bombastic sounds children make before asking them to be quiet every other day of the year.
V. Examples of Onomatopoeia in Pop Culture
Onomatopoeias can be used in pop culture to create a mood or rhythm, especially in music where it fits in naturally.
Example 1
For an example of onomatopoeias in pop culture, consider Ylvis’s song “The Fox [What Does the Fox Say?]”:
This comedic song uses onomatopoeia to draw attention to the fact that the fox, unlike many other animals, does not have a commonly known onomatopoeic sound.
Guesses for the fox’s sound range from wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow to ring-ding-ding-ding to bay-buh-day-bum-bay-dum. The idea of onomatopoeia is used as an excuse to introduce these fun musical nonsense vocals.
Example 2
For a slightly subtler version of onomatopoeias used in song, listen to Charli XCX’s song “Boom Clap”:
The song “Boom Clap” is catchy, fun, and lighthearted. One reason why, is its use of onomatopoeias in the chorus:
Boom! Clap!
The sound of my heart
Describing the heartbeat as boom and clap implies that the heart is full and energetic, like a pop song or happy party. Such a description conveys the happiness of the speaker, who has fallen in love.
VI. Related Terms: Onomatopoeia vs. Similar Devices
[Terms: assonance and alliteration]
Assonance
Like onomatopoeia, assonance uses sound to create rhythm and mood. Unlike onomatopoeia, assonance is not a specific word that imitates sounds, but the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Here is an example of assonance versus onomatopoeia in the description of a river:
Sentence with Assonance:
The river wove hither and thither, glistening and misting over slivers of rocks.
The repetition of the ‘i” sound in river, hither, thither, glistening, misting, and slivers provides this sentence with rhythm and harmony, imitating the sound of rushing water to create sound imagery. Of course, the sound of a river is not literally like an “i”.
Sentence with Onomatopoeias:
The river slushed and rushed, bubbling and gurgling along the rocks.
Onomatopoeic words slushed, rushed, bubbling, and gurgling provide this sentence with a different rhyme, rhythm and sound imagery.
Alliteration
Like onomatopoeia, alliteration uses specific words and their sounds to create a rhythm and mood. Unlike onomatopoeia, alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Here is an example of alliteration versus onomatopoeia in the description of a girl on a slide:
Sentence with Alliteration:
Sally slipped on the slide and slid off sloppily.
The repetition of the ‘s’ sound at the beginning of Sally, slipped, slide, slid, and sloppily provides this sentence with rhythm. But,there is no literal connection between the sounds of the words and actual sliding [does sliding even have a sound?].
Sentence with Onomatopoeias:
Sally slipped with a whoop and bumped down onto the slide, swooshing to the bottom.
The use of words like whoop, bumped, and swooshed provides the reader with sound imagery, invoking a vivid image of Sally sliding down the slide.
VII. In Closing
Onomatopoeias are words thst can be fun and realistic representations of the sounds they define. If a sound exists in the world, chances are there is an onomatopoeic word which clatters or clacks, swooshes or slaps, or bings or bangs in line with it.
In literature, “onomatopoeia” is a word that’s employed to mimic any audible sound not pertaining to any spoken language. Examples include buzz, crack, pop, whoosh, etc. Inserting these “meaningless” words into a piece of prose, however, does have the effect of capturing a more-convincing snapshot of reality.
But this doesn’t just work on paper; it can also work in music, whereby the original units of music–say, a guitar note or piano chord–can be used to recreate sounds other than the ones originally intended. These examples of instrumental onomatopoeia are ultimately made all the more resonant–and more closely reflective of the multi-facetedness and varying dimensions of reality– by such extra-musical inclusions. Here are ten examples that really ring.
10. “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce
Sound Mimicked: Retro videogame sound effects
Mimicked by: Molly Hatchet-guitars on speed
Being that this band is so steeped in fantasy, role-playing, dragons, swords, and the like, it makes sense that the sound they’d vie for would be something out of an old Sega or Atari game. Listening to the furious solos gives you, if not a headache, the distinct feeling that you just completed a level in Mega Man. Or protected a village from a rampant hobgoblin.
9. “Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen
Sound Mimicked: An idling Harley-Davidson
Mimicked by: Alex Van Halen’s Drum Kit
Imitating a Harley-Davidson perfectly fits the song’s major themes: rudeness, rebelliousness, and downright sleaziness. While David Lee Roth makes come-ons to a teacher twice his age, and Eddie shreds and taps away at his red-and-white-striped guitar, Alex taps at his snare as if it had a built-in muffler.
8. “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
Sound Mimicked: A cat-call/whistle
Mimicked by: Steve Miller’s squawky guitar
You hear it during the first verse section right after Miller purrs the line, “Some people call me Maurrrrrice…” as a sort of way of reaffirming the promiscuous nature of the song, which deals heavy in booze, dope, and sexual mischief. The groove is as mellow as can be, and a perfect accompaniment to those times you feel like being that thing he mentions after “joker” and “smoker.” Midnight-something-or-other…
7. “Quadrant 4” by Billy Cobham
Sound Mimicked: Plasma rifle blasts
Mimicked by: Tommy Bolin’s technically-virtuosic guitar playing
Steve Stevens, guitarist for Billy Idol, has admitted to being influenced by Bolin [and this song in particular] in his own solo stylings, namely in the song “Rebel Yell,” wherein he plays a toy ray gun through his guitar pick-ups. Bolin, however, didn’t need props or gimmicks to make his guitar emit sounds that Buck Rodgers would be proud of. His playing style was a highly technical, virtuosic one, skirting every line between jazz, prog, metal, and beyond. Emphasis on the beyond: in the song “Quadrant 4,” from drummer Billy Cobham’s album Spectrum— on which Bolin plays guitar with zero restraint–it is through the wildest scale-melting noodling, and the right combination of effects pedals, that he makes his guitar sound like it’s charging up and blasting laser beams in rapid succession. It makes you wonder what his guitar looks like by the end of a recording session like that.
6. “Skin Graph” by Silversun Pickups
Sound Mimicked: A revving stock-car engine
Mimicked by: Brian Auburt’s heavily fuzzed-out guitar
Auburt is a noise-ologist; he is all about tinkering with gear to make sounds that a guitar isn’t really supposed to make. He is also a faithful Billy Corgan disciple, who had a similar penchant for stretching his guitar past the 21st fret, employing hundreds of dynamically-distorted layers of fuzzy effects and atmospheric squeals. Auburt, a like-minded fan of pitting harsh and mellow together in the name of musical ambivalence, combines the two especially well on the first track off of Silversun Pickups’ latest album Neck of the Woods. In it, contrasting verse and chorus sections are segued by a sound that resembles a NASCAR racer, accelerating around a sharp bend. And that’s exactly what it feels like when you go on a ride-along with this song.
5. “Of Lilies and Remains” by Bauhaus
Sound Mimicked: A life-support machine
Mimicked by: Daniel Ash’s avant-garde/mimimalistic guitar playing
As Peter Murphy whispers morbid poetry into what feels like the ear of a coma patient, Daniel Ash keeps us in suspense of recovery, playing a guitar note that sounds a bit too much like a life-support machine. And then, during what might be sort of a chorus, the patient’s heartbeat appears to escalate as the backbeat picks up, like a struggle to stay alive long enough to finish hearing the song.
4. “Love Cats” by the Cure
Sound Mimicked: Cats meowing
Mimicked by: Robert Smith’s guitar scratches
The “cats” appear at the very beginning and end of the song, a conceptually-befitting artistic choice on Robert Smith’s part. As the song is very much about two smitten lovers, whose affections are comparable to those of cats in heat, replicating a couple of alley cats helps to paint a poignant mental picture. The jazzy upright bass, piano hooks, and “skatting” Robert Smith mark a genre the Cure seldom occupy but, with those distinctive coos and earnest vocals, there’s no denying the party responsible.
3. “Njosnavelin” by Sigur Ros
Sound Mimicked: Cello
Mimicked by: Jonsi’s bowed guitar
Also mimicked by instruments are the sounds of other instruments; here in particular, a cello, a stringed instrument that belongs more in an orchestra and less in a nightclub. To achieve this sound, you can go out and buy an e-bow for about a hundred bucks, which is a device that–standing in for a pick–emits a continuous vibration, which creates a sort of infinite guitar sustain. Or you could do what Jonsi of Sigur Ros–like many other guitarists before, during, and after him–does, and pull out an actual violin bow and embrace the electric guitar, like some beautiful symphony hall classicist. The result speaks for itself, as does your jaw hanging on the ground for you to trip over.
2. “Undercover of Darkness” by The Strokes
Sound Mimicked: Saxophone
Mimicked by: Nick Valensi’s guitar tone
The Strokes are all about the power of faithful interpretation; their songwriting formula has traditionally been this: frontman Julian Casablancas [whose vocals are a “faithful interpretation” of Lou Reed’s] writes the song melodies entirely on the keyboard, which is then interpreted by the band’s two guitarists, Albert Hammond Jr. [rhythm*] and Nick Valensi [lead*]. Such interpretation skills have been made apparent on songs like “12:51,” in which Valensi plays a single-note guitar hook in a tone that resembles a keyboard line from any given Cars album.
In this song from their latest album Angles, Casablancas has confessed to the song’s being directly influenced by the sax-heavy Clarence Clemens/Jackson Browne song “You’re a Friend of Mine”; listen in particular to the low-level tone of that guitar lick Valensi plays in the verse, the thick, scratchy timbre of which sounds not unlike the actual saxophone Clarence Clemens riffs on in the original track.
*mostly
1. “NYC” by Interpol
Sound Mimicked: Subway squwalls
Mimicked by: Reverb-soaked guitars
This song is both conceptual and experiential; the feeling recreated is literally the sum of all the parts: the slow-chugging guitar riff mirroring the rhythmic lull of a train arriving at its destination, the under-lubricated high note squeals of a second guitar sounding like a mal-attended break system, all thematically tied together by a downtrodden Paul Banks singing, “The subway, it is a porno. The sidewalks, they are a mess. I know you’ve supported me a long time; somehow I’m not impressed. But New York cares.” A very distinct feeling is created, of a lonely New Yorker shuffling through the alienating familiarity of a public transportation system that always runs on time.
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