"What is Onomatopoeia?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

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  • Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
  • What does onomatopoeia mean? What are some examples of onomatopoeia in poetry? Professor Raymond Malewitz answers these questions using an example from William Carlos Williams' poem "The Injury" and the language theories of Ferdinand de Saussure.
    The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify onomatopoeia in literature but also to analyze its purposes and effects. The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF UA-cam Channel or visit liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/
    Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.
    0:00 How Language Works
    1:04 Onomatopoeia Defined
    3:07 Onomatopoeia in Poetry
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 106

  • @SWLF
    @SWLF  2 роки тому

    This video now includes Spanish as well as English subtitles. For a full list of dual-language videos in our series, please see the following site: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms

  • @SWLF
    @SWLF  3 роки тому +7

    If you liked this video, let us know by dropping us a comment, asking a question, or sharing your favorite examples of how onomatopoeia or onomatopoetic effects in literature. Doing so will help to establish this comment section as a rich digital learning environment. Thanks for reading, everybody!

    • @anishaprasad5967
      @anishaprasad5967 3 роки тому

      Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! , an example of onomatopoeia. (Spring Day by T. Nashe)

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      @@anishaprasad5967 Excellent examples, Anisha! We have no idea how "jug-jug" sounds like a nightingale, but TS Eliot uses the same onomatopoeia in "The Waste Land." Thanks for keeping the conversation going!

    • @anishaprasad5967
      @anishaprasad5967 3 роки тому

      @@SWLF welcome😁

    • @firebeatsick
      @firebeatsick Рік тому

      Thank you very much. This video was very help full.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      @@firebeatsick Thanks so much, Sick beats!

  • @WritingwithAndrew
    @WritingwithAndrew 3 роки тому +8

    Nice--I especially liked the mention of the onomatopoetic effect in Williams' poem. I'll probably have the sound of "soft coal" stuck in my head for the rest of the day

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Andrew! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well.

  • @arthurmulvey445
    @arthurmulvey445 6 місяців тому +1

    This Helped clear my questions! I love how you explain it in a way anyone could understand.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  6 місяців тому

      Thanks so much, Arthur!

  • @kazimpashapasha3036
    @kazimpashapasha3036 3 роки тому +5

    Well explained. Loved it.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks so much, Kazim! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the video.

  • @smmrkl1999
    @smmrkl1999 2 роки тому

    It was very well explained.many thanks. The poem example also helped me engrave the concept on my mind

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Saba. We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @richardglady3009
    @richardglady3009 2 місяці тому

    Thank you. I love this type of advanced studies that discuss things I have never been exposed to. My only hope is that get a chance to write a poem that includes some of these effects before my brain explodes from all the new ideas.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 місяці тому

      Richard, you have made our day again with this comment. Thanks so much, and good luck with that poem!

  • @marwanalshater665
    @marwanalshater665 3 роки тому

    More thanks... Awesome Information 👏♥️🙏

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much for your continued support, Marwan!

  • @hamzaalwan9864
    @hamzaalwan9864 2 роки тому

    Perfectly explained

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      Thanks so much for your continued support, Hamza!

  • @lalitapoman881
    @lalitapoman881 3 роки тому

    Well Explained....Good Job👏🤗
    And Thank You It helped Me.....

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Lalita!

  • @Tydollar11
    @Tydollar11 3 роки тому +1

    Love it!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Awesome! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @simsimjaa2934
    @simsimjaa2934 Рік тому

    I'm subscribing. I love to expand my vocabulary and learn more:>

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      Thanks so much, simsimjaa!

  • @BESTBROS343
    @BESTBROS343 2 роки тому

    Thank you! it helped me a lot

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      Thanks so much, Sweet Potato! We are delighted to hear that you found the lesson useful!

  • @bethnolastname
    @bethnolastname 3 роки тому +4

    I found this entertaining as well as informative. Nice work!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much, Beth! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @miranda2373
    @miranda2373 3 роки тому +3

    How to identify onomatopoeia in sentences? I mean how do we decides whether it is onomatopoeic word or just a regular verb/noun?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +2

      Great question, Miranda. This is easier to spot in poetry--a genre quite sensitive to sound--than in prose. The short answer is if you can imagine the words sounding like the things they are describing in the literary work (in this case, the sound of the steam train is mimicked by the words), you have an argument for onomatopoetic effect. Whether or not that effect is intended by the author is less important--art is public and designed to be interpreted differently by different people. If you can support the argument, go for it!

    • @miranda2373
      @miranda2373 3 роки тому +1

      @@SWLF got it! Thank you so much!

  • @xboxjohn9722
    @xboxjohn9722 3 роки тому +1

    Off topic but, when was the Oregon Sate University founded? And by the way, Great video!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      Thanks so much for your kind words, John. OSU has been around in various forms since 1868--we just had our 150 year anniversary!

  • @11-ufaqashraf45
    @11-ufaqashraf45 3 роки тому +1

    wow!!!!such a great video......i hope you make a video on epic and its types too.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Ufaq! We've added epic to our list.

    • @11-ufaqashraf45
      @11-ufaqashraf45 3 роки тому +1

      @@SWLF thank you so much

  • @timostaub6454
    @timostaub6454 2 роки тому +5

    Great video, but it contains an important error: The term "Onomatopoeia" does not come from Latin, it comes from Greek - and this is actually quite obvious because the term sounds like typical Greek, not Latin.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому +3

      Ah, you are absolutely right, Timo. Professor Malewitz certainly misspoke there. Yes, onomatopoeia is of course of Greek rather than Latin origin. Thanks so much for drawing our attention to it!

    • @timostaub6454
      @timostaub6454 2 роки тому +3

      @@SWLF No need to say thank you - after all it was just quickly said, and the rest of the video (and your other videos) is/are really very good. The only problem is maybe the background music, which is usually too loud. Reason: Background music makes it more difficult to use videos as a learning resource (as known from online didactics), and gives them more an aspect of PR/advertising videos (and they are definitely better than that). Good greetings from Switzerland!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому +3

      @@timostaub6454 Thanks for the suggestions, Timo! And many thanks for your kind words. We're delighted to have made it all the way to Switzerland!

  • @ofbrandlizard9370
    @ofbrandlizard9370 3 роки тому

    Thank you for helping me

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks so much, Rxsh! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @inupinu9209
    @inupinu9209 2 місяці тому

    thanks. I'm taking my lit gcses in two days. this helped!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 місяці тому

      You're very welcome, @inupinu9209 ! Good luck with your exams!

  • @anhuman7022
    @anhuman7022 Рік тому +1

    Great video 👍

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      Thanks so much, an human! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @jeffstone5554
    @jeffstone5554 3 роки тому +3

    When I learn a new word I say cha-ching. Thanks!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +2

      Ha! Nice one, Jeff!! Thanks for keeping the conversation going.

  • @Idalmys-u2t
    @Idalmys-u2t 27 днів тому

    Interesting. I'm Cuba, we used "runrún" meaning gossip, rumor. I think this is an onomatopeia that became a word.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  24 дні тому

      Fascinating! Thanks for sharing, @Idalmys-u2t !

  • @yeddanapudiradhika470
    @yeddanapudiradhika470 2 роки тому

    The onomatopoeia was not evident to me until I modified soft coat to shuk-shuk. Of course, that proves the point about the native language (Hindi, in my case) proving to be the lens that determines how these words are formed and received.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      What a great post, Yeddanapudi! Thanks so much for your kind words and for keeping the conversation going!

    • @yeddanapudiradhika470
      @yeddanapudiradhika470 2 роки тому

      @@SWLF My translation brain is always on, haha. Imagine the confusion up there: Hindi, Spanish, Telegu and a bit of Modern Greek plus the dominant one, English!

  • @artistaeps
    @artistaeps Рік тому

    great job

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      Thanks so much, tahiralfaitorydesigner7092!

  • @riverIl0719
    @riverIl0719 3 роки тому

    Thanks!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks for much, Phil!

    • @riverIl0719
      @riverIl0719 3 роки тому

      @@SWLF You're most welcome! What you are doing is excellent, I learned a lot!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      @@riverIl0719 Excellent! We're having a lot of fun putting them together.

  • @hemalakshmi4250
    @hemalakshmi4250 3 роки тому +1

    Nice content sir 😊
    Meow represents Cat
    Tick tock represents a Clock
    Haha represents Laughing
    Am I right sir?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      You got it, Hema! Great work!

    • @hemalakshmi4250
      @hemalakshmi4250 3 роки тому

      @@SWLF Thanks 😊

  • @InsistentlyInterdisciplinary

    This is a really wonderful video! As a iconicity researcher, I would show this to anyone wanting to learn about the onomatopoeia and the like. My channel also features videos on the topic from a cognitive science perspective. I love the links between psychology and literature.

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому +1

      Wow, thanks so much, Austin! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well. And good luck with your channel!

  • @giornogiovanna9237
    @giornogiovanna9237 Рік тому +1

    Is "echo" an onomatopoeia?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому +1

      Great question, Giorno! That word goes back to Greek mythology, where Echo is a nymph who falls in love with Narcissus (appropriately enough). Where the Greeks got the term is beyond our knowledge. We suspect it isn't, as echoes can reflect back a large number of sounds, but don't take our word for it. Does anyone else out there have any insight?

  • @arthurmulvey445
    @arthurmulvey445 6 місяців тому

    is the word click onomatopoeia?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  6 місяців тому

      Yes, it certainly is! Nice work, Arthur!

  • @TheGypsyJewess
    @TheGypsyJewess 2 роки тому +1

    giggle? glitter? shudder? tickle? flowing? itch?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      These are all wonderfully vivid examples of onomatopoeia, Arlene! Thanks for sharing. We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!

  • @aluk2408
    @aluk2408 21 день тому

    I offer fizz. That said it's only the zz bit that is ono... As for "soft coal, soft coal" That just captures the rhythm of the sound not the sound itself. In the same way Ivor the Engine used to chuff away to "Please to come, please to come". Just thought of "rat a tat tat". Also "peace".

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  21 день тому

      Great examples here, @aluk2408 ! We would say that the rhythm of the sound is very much an onomatopoetic property, though it is certainly subject to interpretation. We're not so sure about peace, but we just looked up Ivor the Engine, which looks adorable! Thanks for keeping the conversation going.

  • @denifnaf5874
    @denifnaf5874 3 роки тому +3

    2:20 and in hungarian its kukurikú

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому +1

      Nice! Thanks for adding some Hungarian here, Deni!

    • @RK-qk7ow
      @RK-qk7ow 2 роки тому +1

      In lithuanian it's 'kakariekū'

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      Wow! Thanks for adding some Lithuanian here as well, RK! (and apologies for our late reply--we didn't get this notification).

    • @joelenvidia2317
      @joelenvidia2317 2 роки тому

      In the Philippines it's Tiktilaok

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      @@joelenvidia2317 Thanks for adding to this conversation, Joel! It is so fascinating that so many languages have different ways to express this sound!

  • @fredconcklin1094
    @fredconcklin1094 2 роки тому

    The pen is mightier than the sword

  • @tatarsauce6314
    @tatarsauce6314 2 роки тому +1

    The guy called Hiccup:

  • @circuit2472
    @circuit2472 Рік тому

    I’m so confuse):

  • @janethenclona7939
    @janethenclona7939 Рік тому

    Tnx

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      You're very welcome, Janeth! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the video and we hope you'll check out the others in our series!

  • @Mohamed-ps6mk
    @Mohamed-ps6mk 8 місяців тому

    The bees buzzed from flower to flower and the birds chirped in the trees
    There is an example

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  8 місяців тому

      Nice work, Mohamed! Can you think of any literary examples as well?

  • @retheisen
    @retheisen 2 місяці тому

    Do you believe that "Shaka, when the walls fell." was the first meme?

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 місяці тому

      Hmm, we're a bit confused. What does this have to do with onomatopoeia?

    • @retheisen
      @retheisen 2 місяці тому

      @SWLF it is a Star Trek The Next Generation episode where the crew encounters a new species who speaks in allegory. Good synopsis at ua-cam.com/video/WQ8_F6jYWv4/v-deo.htmlsi=JCgCSuBhRm6FMDw0 . The computers / universal translators can translate the words, but the words just recall established cultural touchstones common to their species. Captain Picard and a representative of the new species learn to communicate. This episode was from the late 1980s or early 1990s, before "meme culture" was a thing. But it seems to describe meme culture perfectly.

    • @retheisen
      @retheisen 2 місяці тому

      Maybe I commented on the wrong video. Sorry.

  • @jorgecuevas3051
    @jorgecuevas3051 2 роки тому +1

    Sali a la calle me distraje y un carro se freno y dije o,no matopella..

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  2 роки тому

      Ha! We wish we knew more Spanish, but we appreciate the pun!

  • @janethenclona7939
    @janethenclona7939 Рік тому

    Plsssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  Рік тому

      Hmmm, we hope this means you enjoyed the video, Janeth!

  • @overlordxab3365
    @overlordxab3365 2 роки тому +1

    Zubababanco gagacaot

  • @janethenclona7939
    @janethenclona7939 Рік тому

    Him

  • @Khatoon170
    @Khatoon170 28 днів тому

    Onomatopoeia is way that writers create sound in their work using words that sound like noisy they make . This can add interesting and dramatic effect to poem or other piece of writing. Onomatopoeia is literary device and , it’s type of word that sound like what is describes buzz , whoosh , boom are all examples. Onomatopoeia can add excitement, action , interest by allowing reader to hear and remember your writing . Examples of onomatopoeia in literature sentences bacon sizzled on pan . She woke to sound of chirping. In descriptive writing most times sound words are day to day words used to mimic sound . Onomatopoeia is good way to immerse reader . Onomatopoeia using to improve story writing, helps with idea of all ( show , don’t tell ) . There are four types of onomatopoeia real words that sound like real things . Real words make to evoke sound of relating. Made up words that sound like real things . Series of letters that mimic sound are onomatopoeia and , it’s form of writing use onomatopoeia in fiction fairytales and general fiction. Onomatopoeia is symbolism of words like they mean . Onomatopoeia mostly used in poetry and literature. Thank you for your wonderful literary educational channel. Happy independence day .

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  22 дні тому

      Thanks for the great comment, @Khatoon170 ! Can you think of any onomatopoeias in Arabic? Do they work in the same way that they work in English?

  • @aroundworldnews
    @aroundworldnews 3 роки тому +1

    طعفر بقبق هسيس نقيق مواء

    • @SWLF
      @SWLF  3 роки тому

      Thanks for adding some more examples, hob!

  • @revpaulnwama8696
    @revpaulnwama8696 Рік тому +1

    i dont understand a thing