Literary Technique - Onopatopoeia

Literary Technique - Onopatopoeia
Written by Teresa Knudsen. Published on Suite 101 December 06, 2009.
Republished January 11, 2012 on Sweet Suite Writings

Literary Technique – Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeias are one of the first literary techniques learned by children. Linguists believe that originally all words were onomatopoetic. An example is the word "tiger." The "grrr" sound imitates the growl of a tiger. Somewhere in the development of language, the meaning moved away from the sound. In this case, the word "table" does not connect with any noise coming from the table.

Basic Examples of Onomatopoeia: Farm Animals

A young child learning language is often taught with onomatopoeias.

• A dog barks.
• A cat mews.
• A cow moos.
• A duck quacks.
• A sheep baas.

The song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is one of the most famous methods of integrating sounds and letters for children, with the repetition and repeating the animal sounds from last to first as a way of keeping the children interested in mastering the material.

Continuing Examples of Onomatopoeia: Exotic Animals

After learning the domestic farm animals, children then are taught the names of exotic animals and the sounds they make.

• A lion roars.
• A tiger growls.
• A snake hisses.

Edgar Allen Poe's Onomatopoeias in "The Bells"

As children enter junior high school, Poe's masterpiece, the poem "The Bells" is offered as a famous example of a writer's use of onompatopoeias to convey a theme. The poem has four parts:

• Sleigh bells in winter "tinkle."
• Wedding bells "rhyme" and "chime."
• Alarm bells "scream."
• Funeral bells "moan" and "groan."

The interesting part of Poe's poem is his word choice. The words contain vowels and consonants that carry the sound of each bell described.

The silver sleigh bells section contains the sounds of "t," "k," and "i," as in "crystaline delight. The sounds evoke the brittle sounds of frozen snow and ice, as well as the "merriment" of a winter wonderland. In this winter scene, there is only happiness, and "All the heavens seem to twinkle..."

The "mellow" and "golden" wedding bells are "swinging" and "ringing." The "i," "o," and "u" vowels reflect the happiness of newlyweds and young love. The vowel sounds in t "euphony voluminously wells," "swells," "dwells," again reflecting the "rapture" of the newly married.

The "brazen" alarm bell section contains many consonants. There are lots of "t" sounds, but not the happy words in the sleigh bell section. The alarm bells contain "turbulency" in the "startled ear of night." These bells "shriek," as if they were banshees.

The last section, the funeral bells, contain many low vowel sounds, going beyond the "mellow" and "golden" sounds of the wedding bells. The funeral bells "toll" in a "monotone." These bells "sob" and "roll."

When reading the poem, the pacing reflects the sound. The poem begins quickly in the sleigh bells sectins, then "mellows" a bit for the wedding, then quickens in fear for the alarm bells, and ends at a dirge-like march. In this last section, the many "o" sounds make it impossible to rush through, and the reader is forced to slow down to a funeral pace.

Onomatopoeias in The Lion in Winter

In the film The Lion in Winter, there is use of onomatopoeias to enhance the characterization of King Herny II (Peter O'Toole) and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn). These estranged monarchs argue, bicker, and plot against each other, and in the background are the snarls of dogs, symbolizing that perhaps people are not much more evolved than their animals.

References

" The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe." Read by Basil Rathbone. YouTube
The Lion in Winter. Film. Starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn. (1968). The Internet Movie Database.
Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Bells." Poets.org.