The onomatopoeic Snap, Crackle, and Pop! (Kellogg's Rice Krispies®)
Definition:
The formation or use of words (such as hiss or murmur) that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Adjective: onomatopoeic. See also:
Onomatope
Introduction to Etymology
Etymology:
From the Latin, "to make names"
Examples and Observations:
"Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear; Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear? (Alfred Noyes, "The Highwayman")
"Linguists almost always begin discussions about onomatopoeia with observations like the following: the snip of a pair of scissors is su-su in Chinese, cri-cri in Italian, riqui-riqui in Spanish, terre-terre in Portuguese, krits-krits in modern Greek. . . . Some linguists gleefully expose the conventional nature of these words, as if revealing a fraud." (Earl R. Anderson, A Grammar of Iconism, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press, 1999)
"I'm getting married in the morning! Ding dong! the bells are gonna chime." (Lerner and Loewe, "Get Me to the Church on Time," My Fair Lady)
"One of these days, Alice. Pow! Right in the kisser!" (Jackie Gleason, The Honeymooners)
"Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is." (slogan of Alka Seltzer, U.S.)
"Plink, plink, fizz, fizz" (Alka Seltzer, U.K.)
"Klunk! Klick! Every trip" (U.K. promotion for seat belts)
"Bang! went the pistol, Crash! went the window Ouch! went the son of a gun. Onomatopoeia-- I don't want to see ya Speaking in a foreign tongue." (John Prine, "Onomatopoeia")
"I have a new book, 'Batman: Cacophony.' Batman faces off against a character called Onomatopoeia. His shtick is that he doesn't speak; he just mimics the noises you can print in comic books." (Kevin Smith, Newsweek, Oct. 27, 2008)
"[Aredelia] found Starling in the warm laundry room, dozing against the slow rump-rump of a washing machine." (Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs)
Pronunciation: ON-a-MAT-a-PEE-a
Presentation Transcript
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