Onomatopoeia are words that imitate sounds and are used in literature and speech. Animal sounds are a common example, with variations in different languages. Children learn these sounds early on and adults use them to name objects and animals, market products, and as a literary device. Comics are famous for using sound effects, but some modern writers avoid it for realism.
Onomatopoeia is the literary term for words that are meant to imitate sounds. Common examples include buzz, zip and click. Used as a literary device for centuries in many languages, onomatopoeia is also commonly used in speech, often by children but also by adults. Comics are famous for using sound effects technique, to the point that many people can’t think of comics without thinking about their sound effects and vice versa.
One of the most common ways to use onomatopoeia is to imitate animal sounds, such as meows and quacks. All languages use these words, although each language may have its own version of a particular sound. For example, the colorful phrase cock-a-doodle-doo is recognized throughout the English-speaking world as the morning crowing of a rooster. In Japan, however, the sound is translated as kokekokko, while non-English European countries may spell it as a variation of kikiriki. Other forms of onomatopoeia share this trait. Sound is universal, but written or spoken form varies from language to language.
Children often learn these sounds at an early age, although they may not learn the word onomatopoeia itself until much later. It is common to use these sounds to teach children how to recognize different animals and objects. Young people are often amused by the imitative quality of these words and can repeat them over and over again. A popular 1960s children’s toy, See n’ Say by Mattel, played these words aloud when children selected the corresponding animal or object with a pointer arrow.
Adults also use onomatopoeia to indicate the sounds of various objects and animals. Such words are used to name everyday objects, such as the zipper, as well as animals such as the nightjar, after the sounds they make. Advertisers sometimes use these words to market products that make distinctive sounds. Writers often use onomatopoeia as a literary device. For example, in the 1906 poem “The Highwayman,” Alfred Noyes uses the phrase “tlot-tlot” to suggest the clatter of a horse’s hooves on a cobbled street.
Perhaps the most famous use of onomatopoeia is to feature sound effects in comics. First pioneered by comic book artist Roy Crane in the 1930s, this technique gained wide notoriety when it was carried over into the 1960s Batman TV series. As a result, mainstream journalists have felt compelled to use words like “Bam!” and “Pow!” writing about any aspect of comics for the next thirty years. Some comic artists like Don Martin and Wally Wood were famous for their creative sound effects. In the 21st century, comic book writers such as Alan Moore and Warren Ellis gave up the practice entirely, feeling it detracted from the realism of their stories.
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