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onomatopoeia
ONOMATOPOEIA
Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
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1998
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© Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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ONOMATOPOEIA. [Through
LATIN from GREEK
onomatopoiía making a name. Derived adjectives: both
onomatopoeic and
onomatopoetic]. A
FIGURE OF SPEECH in which: (1) Words are formed from natural sounds:
ping,
rat-a-tat-tat. (2) Words are used and sometimes adapted, including visually, to suggest a sound:
snow crackling and crunching underfoot,
R-r-i-i-p-p! (of cloth tearing). In onomatopoeic usage, sound and sense echo and reinforce each other, often using
ALLITERATION and
ASSONANCE; hence the alternative but more inclusive term
ECHOISM. Onomatopoeia is common: (1) In children's stories:
Only a bee tree goes,
‘Buzz! Buzz!’ (2) In comic books and cartoons: WHAM! KABOOM! (3) In the language of advertising:
All 3 Kodak disc cameras go bzzt,
bzzt,
flash,
flash.
One goes tick,
tock,
beep,
beep.
And anyone who gets one for the holidays will go ooooohh! (4) When writers want to build up a phonaesthetic effect: ‘The childhood dreams of … the grinning Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum giant swinging his axe … the slush-slurp of the Creature emerging from the Black Lagoon’ ( James Herbert,
Shrine, 1983). See
PHONAESTHESIA.
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Amazing alliteration and whiz-bang onomatopoeia: use these tools to add punch to your prose! (Power of Words).
Magazine article from: Writing!; 10/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...common sound devices writers use are onomatopoeia--words whose sounds suggest their...times within a few words. RINGING ONOMATOPOEIA Do you love the way your boots crunch...mumble, and sputter are examples of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is found in all kinds...
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What it sounds like: in a perfect world, magazines would have audio playback. You're getting onomatopoeia. For the sake of modesty, all attempts to re-create these sounds should be made in private.
Magazine article from: Esquire; 8/1/2006; 700+ words
; ...d hear through a tunnel." (1) Onomatopoeia: Uuuuaaerahh! Oooerruuuhhh! Lightning...Expand that by a thousand." (2) Onomatopoeia: Cccrrrkkkkk! Dick Cheney laughing...Penguin as you might think." (3) Onomatopoeia:Heh-heh-hem-ha-hu-huh...
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 "Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England)")
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Onomatopoeia, literally a word in a million.
Newspaper article from: Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England); 7/14/2009; 661 words
; ...unnerving when Nick lobbed the word onomatopoeia into the conversation like a hand grenade. "What?" "Onomatopoeia." "You've made it up." At...and found that he was correct. Onomatopoeia is from the 16th century and means...
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KEVIN KIRK & ONOMATOPOEIA: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
Newspaper article from: Boise Weekly; 7/23/2008; ; 508 words
; KEVIN KIRK & ONOMATOPOEIA: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED Listening...Assembly Required by Kevin Kirk and Onomatopoeia is like throwing your windows open...classical elements. It's no wonder. Onomatopoeia's six musicians have serious...
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Stops and other sound-symbolic devices expressing the relative length of referent sounds in onomatopoeia.
Magazine article from: Studia Anglica Posnaniensia: international review of English Studies; 1/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; ...environment seriously affect each other. Onomatopoeia being a class of words designed to...referents. The phonosymbolic elements in onomatopoeia, however, will be less likely to...single aspect of phonetic symbolism in onomatopoeia, namely the somewhat previously neglected...
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Distinguishing characteristics & onomatopoeia. (Back to Basics) (Column)
Magazine article from: Guitar Player; 4/1/1993; ; 700+ words
; ...just sounds like that to me. This kind of stuff is called onomatopoeia: the formation of words in imitation of natural sounds...reproduction of the sound associated with it. Aspects of onomatopoeia permeate this whole concept of distinguishing characteristics...
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KEVIN KIRK AND ONOMATOPOEIA, JAN. 30, EGYPTIAN
Newspaper article from: Boise Weekly; 1/28/2009; ; 432 words
; ...in a row, pianist Kevin Kirk and all-star jazz ensemble Onomatopoeia are taking the stage at the Egyptian Theatre to premiere...Lord, Have Mercy" second on the top 10 list of 2004. Onomatopoeia's upcoming performance, Live in 3D, will feature the...
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Review: James Campbell's Onomatopoeia Society II (The Etymological Conference)
Newspaper article from: The Scotsman; 8/15/2006; ; 382 words
; CHILDREN'S SHOWS JAMES CAMPBELL'S ONOMATOPOEIA SOCIETY II (THE ETYMOLOGICAL CONFERENCE) *** GILDED...has brought a whole cast of them into his play about the Onomatopoeia Society. Phayre is brilliant, to the point where the children...
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 "Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)")
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Reading to your kids the right thing to do; Positives: In addition to bonding and exploring fear, they'll also learn onomatopoeia
Newspaper article from: Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque); 9/14/2002; ; 697 words
; ...alliteration ("One misty, moisty morning"); repetition ("wee, wee, wee all the way home"): and my favorite, onomatopoeia, or a word that sounds like what it means ("And goodnight to the quiet old lady whispering 'hush.'"). When I was...
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Onomatopoeia
Newspaper article from: Sunday Gazette-Mail; 3/23/2003; 238 words
; The storm goes boom in the flash of light. The rain goes pitter patter hard. The streaks of lightning go crackle down on a tree. Boof goes the light of lightning. Grrr goes the wind in the night sky. Cthooo goes the lightning. Drip drop goes the rain. Now, that's the end of the storm. - Courtney
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onomatopoeia
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
onomatopoeia [Gr.,=word-making], in language, the representation of a sound...flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep. Onomatopoeia can also represent harsh and unpleasant sounds, as in Browning's...
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ONOMATOPOEIA
Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
ONOMATOPOEIA. [Through LATIN from GREEK onomatopoiía making a name...ASSONANCE ; hence the alternative but more inclusive term ECHOISM . Onomatopoeia is common: (1) In children's stories: Only a bee tree goes...
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PHONAESTHESIA
Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
...and do not necessarily apply to all the words of a certain type: sleep and sleeve, dish and sash do not normally have the same nuances as slime and splash . Compare ALLITERATION , ASSONANCE , ECHOISM , ONOMATOPOEIA , ROOT-CREATION .
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ROOT-CREATION
Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
...x2018;roots’ because they can and often do become the foundations of more complex forms, such as Hoovermatic , Kodachrome , mobster , smog-bound , and tawdriness . See ECHOISM , NEOLOGISM , ONOMATOPOEIA , PHONAESTHESIA .
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NAME
Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language
...memory of a particular Mary whenever mentioned. See ACRONYM , BBC PRONUNCIATION UNIT , CLIPPING , EPITHET , EPONYM , ETHNIC NAME , FORM OF ADDRESS , LETTER WORD , ONOMATOPOEIA , -ONYM , PLACE-NAME , PROPER NOUN , TRADEMARK , WORD.
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