Onomatopoeia and water

Onomatopoeia is a written sound. Buzz, crunch, sizzle, and fluffy are perfect examples. Certain things, like water, create many different sounds depending on the action. There’s water from rain, movement of water in rivers, waterfalls, the ocean, and things you do with water, like clean, swim, play.

Here’s a list of onomatopteic words related to water. How many do you recognize?

bubble
dribble
drip
drizzle
fizz
flush
gargle
gurgle
plop
slosh
splash
spray
sprinkle
squirt

Each word imitates a sound made by water movement. English speaking and writing is enhanced by onomatopoeia. It’s vocabulary, fun vocabulary.

Onomatopoeia used in poetry

There are many elements of the English language that are great for learning. Jokes are a perfect example because they are fun to remember and retell. Today I'm combining two ideas into one post, onomatopoeia and poetry, to demonstrate another impactful way of learning.

Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound associated with it (like crunchy or sizzle, for example). Combine it with poetry and the result is very effective for setting a scene. For example, note how the use of onomatopoeia creates a strong image in the poem called "Camping".

Crack! Crack!
The fire crackles under the stars.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The water sizzles above the fire.
Crunch! Crunch!
The campers crunching on potato chips.
Click! Clack! Click! Clack!
The tent poles clicking and clacking together.
Rustle! Rustle!
As we prepare our sleeping bags to go to sleep.
Chirp! Chirp!
The crickets say, “good-night”.

Can you identify all of the onomatopoeic words in the poem?

Onomatopoeic word: Boo

What sound does a ghost make when it's trying to talk? Well, when we're discussing onomatopoeia, the sound and the word is boo.

Onomatopoeia is the formation of a word from a sound associated with it (like crunchy or sizzle, for example).

You'll be hearing the exclamation boo often if you are out on Halloween night and, since it is used to startle or frighten someone, what is the appropriate response? If you don't know, see my previous blog post on
what to say when something scares you. You'll be glad you did.

Onomatopoeic word: Whisper

Now here’s a word that’s quiet and soft because that’s what a whisper is: to speak softly with little or no vibration of the vocal cords, especially to avoid being overheard. You might whisper or speak in hushed tones if you need to talk privately or perhaps tell a secret.

There’s a park I visit every year when I’m on vacation and its name is Whipering Pines. It’s covered with the tallest pine trees you can imagine and, when the wind blows through the trees, it creates a low rustling sound as if they're quietly whispering to each other. I always wonder what they’re saying.

Onomatopoeic word: Bark

Do you know the sound a dog makes when it’s trying to “talk”? That’s called a bark. Sometimes we duplicate the actual barking sound by writing bark, arf, ruff, or even woof. All of this is dog barking.

In human speech a bark is a loudly or angrily spoken word that resembles a bark. Example: Giorgio barked instructions to his secretary. Barking can also describe when someone calls or shouts out in order to advertise something. "Buy this!" "Low price!" "Great deal!"

Onomatopoeic word: Slurp

To slurp is when you eat or drink noisily, with a loud, sloppy sucking sound. It’s a verb.

Luisa slurped her coffee quickly.

Leonardo is slurping his spaghetti and I can hear it.

Slurp is a noun, too. It’s the actual slurp noise: I drank the Coca-Cola with a loud slurp.

OR it can be a mouthful of a liquid: I was thirsty and took a big slurp of Coca-Cola.

Slurping is very informal behavior so it’s probably not the best idea to slurp when you eat in public.

It’s another perfect example of onomatopoeia. Sssssluurrrrp!

Onomatopoeic word: Crunchy

Crispy foods are crunchy: potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, celery, carrots or lettuce. You usually can’t avoid making noise when you eat crunchy food.

The word crunchy sounds like the noise when you chew something crispy. You can also hear that noise when you walk on little stones, gravel, or broken glass and it makes a crunching sound under your feet. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Onomatopoeia

What is onomatopoeia? For me, pronouncing it is the biggest challenge, but onomatopoeia is any word that imitates a sound.

Buzz is a perfect example. It’s a word that defines a sound and closely imitates that sound too.

Hiccup is another onomatopoeic word. Do you ever hiccup?

Onomatopoeia may also refer to words whose sound suggests the qualities or characteristics of something: Fluffy is an adjective describing something that is soft, light, and airy. Fluffy sounds light and airy, doesn't it? I love my fluffy pillow or a fluffy omelette. I like to look outside at the fluffy clouds. Can you think of any other fluffy things?

I’ll describe other onomatopoeic words in future posts because, even though they seem kind of funny, they’re still an important part of the English language.