Ding, ding, ding!
Get ready as we blow the lid off this latest blog post. Boom!
Here it comes: onomatopoeia.
It’s no secret I enjoy history, humor, and writing. The cartoon below encompasses some of each of those interests.
Have you sprinkled onomatopoeia in your writing lately?
Onomatopoeia [on-uh-mat-uh–pee–uh]
noun
- the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
- a word so formed.
- the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.
Origin of onomatopoeia: Late Latin/Greek
< Greek onomatopoiía making of words = onomato- (combining form of ónoma name ) + poi- (stem of poieîn to make; see poet ) + -ia –ia> (source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/onomatopoeia)
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Bells is an interesting example of the use of onomatopoeia.