Onomatopoeia
in English and Indonesian
Written by
Ari Julianto
I. Meaning of
Onomatopoeia
In some respects, the study of the processes
whereby new words into being a language like English seems relatively
straightforward. People can very quickly understand a new word in their own
language, and accept the use of different forms of that new word. This ability
must derive in part from the fact that there is a lot of regularity in the
Word-formation processes in the language.
Image:inspirasiricky.blogspot.com |
It should be remembered that these processes have
been at work in the language for some time and many words in daily use today
were, at one time, considered barbaric misuses of the language. Yule (200:164)
explained that: "It is difficult now to understand the views expressed in
the early ninetieth century over the 'tasteless innovation' of a word like
handbook, or the horror expressed by a London newspaper in 1909 over the use of
newly coined word aviation. Yet many terms of recent currency cause similar
outcries."
Rather than acts as if the language is being
debased, we might prefer to view the constant evolution of new terms und new
uses of old terms as a reassuring sign of vitality and creativeness in the way
a language is shaped by the needs of its users. Let us consider some kinds of
the word formation processes below that is according to Yule (2001:66).
The formation or use of words such as buzzes murmur
that imitates the sounds associated with the objects or action they refer to.
The word onomatopoeia is taken from literal or Latin, Namely: onomatoplolia or onomatopoios. And onomatopoeia in language is the representing of a
sound by an imitation there of, e.g., the cat news.
Meanwhile, Daughlas (1999: 1) said that
onomatopoeia is the use of words whose pronunciation imitates the sound the
word describes, "buzz" for example when spoken is intended to
resemble the sound of a flying insect. Other examples include these: slam, pow, screech, whirr, crush, sizzle,
crunch, wring, wrench, gouge, grind, mangle, bang, blam, pow, zap, fizz, urp,
roar, growl, blip, click, whimper, and of course snap, crackle, and pop.
Note that the connection between sound and pronunciation is sometimes rather a
product of imagination (slam and wring are not very good imitations), and note
also that written language retains an aural quality, so that even unspoken your
writing has a sound to it.
In rhetoric, linguistic and poetry, onomatopoeia is
a figure of speech that employs a word, or occasionally, a grouping of words,
that imitates, echoes, or suggest the object it is describing, such as "bang", "click",
"fizz", "hush" or animal noises such as " moa"
quack or " meow". They are also a very common feature of comic strip
writing, where words such as "Pow" or "ka - pwing" help the
reader to better image what is being described, and make up for the lack of
literary description.
Daughlas (1999:1) says that onomatopoeia words
exist in every language, although they are different in each. Examples:
a. In Latin, tuxtay
was the equivalent of "bam' or "whack" and was meant to
imitate the sound of blows landing,
b. In ancient Greek, koax was used as the sound of the frog cooking,
c. In Japanese, doki..doki
is used to indicate the beating of a heart,
d. Where as in Hindi, the word dhadak (pr. Dhub - uck) is the word for a person is heartbeat,
indicative of the sound of one single beat.
Sometimes onomatopoeia words are very tenuous
relationship with the object the description, such as "bow-wow" in
English and "wang…wong" in Chinese for the sound a dog makes. Some
animals are named after the sounds they make, especially common in certain
languages such as Maori and therefore in name for bird borrowed from these
languages.
II. English
Onomatopoeia
Occasionally, words for things are created from
representations of the sounds these objects make. English, for example, there
is the universal fastener, which is named for the onomatopoeic of the sound it
makes, the "zip" (in the UK) less onomatopoeically "zipper"
in the U.S.
Daughlas (1999:3) mentions that many birds are
named from the onomatopoeic link with the calls they make, such as the Bob
White quail, Chickadee, the cuckoo, the whoopy crane, and the whip-poor-will. In
Pop culture, onomatopoeia appeared in some periods. In the 1960, TV series of
"Batman" used some onomatopoeia such as "whack" and crunch
that appeared on screen when said sound are made during fight scene.
Much onomatopoeia involved into full-feuded slang
and eventually work they're into recognized words. Some examples include
"ibang", which is common slang in ebonies. And hip hop, always urban
slang in the term bagging process with a hard en sound as in the common
alternate spelling hanging which means good, as in this "sfoo" is
banging. This is also seen with word like "rat tat tat tat tat tat",
a reference to gunfire. This can be sheriff in pop music and other music,
slang, sub cultures and such as well as seen in the Harson's song "MMM
BOP".
From 1997 and until 2003 there existed a
progressive rock group called onomatopoeia. They played a rough cut symphonic
rock composition. The band originated from mode, a town on the western
Norwegian.
There is a loss in translation between physical
actions and written interpretation. The loss was in interpretation between
written interpretation and drawing as narrative. Drawing narrative as action
and action as sound and sounds as description of intangibles with in space. Who
reads comic? Do the users really understand or decipher the letters? Comics
have transformed into animations on TV and computer games. Comics are
consistent forms of beginning and adult readings, and comic books are
predominantly fantasy. Comic books are escapism as Daughlas (1999:6) stated.
1. Sounds of
Animal
For animal sounds, the following words are typically used in English.
Some of these examples are taken from Mc Mordie (1970: 97).
Bee - "buzz", Bird - "chirp", "tweet" Cat -
"mereow" "miaow", "meow" ,"miow",
"purr", Chickadee -
"chickadee", Chicken- "cluck", "cackle",
"bawk", Cricket - "chirp", Crow- "caw", Cow
-"moo', Dog - "woof", 'arf","grrr", Dove -
'coo", Dolphin - "click", Duck- "Quack", Flies -
"buzz", Frog - "ribbit', "croak'. Note: many species of
frog make different calls, Goat - "baa", Horse - "neigh",
"winny', "snort", Owl - "hoo" or 'hoot", Insects
- 'buzz", Lion - "roar", "rawr" Mouse
-"squeak" Pigeon - "coo" Rooster- "tiktilaok"
(PH), Turkey- "gobble" Snake-'hiss" Pig - 'oink",
"wee-wee-wee", Sheep -"baa" Wolf-"howl",
"aroo"
From the above examples, we can see that in
English, most of the animals may produce their specific sounds. Different
animals have different sounds, but some animals have the same sounds.
2. Sounds of
Things
a. Some very common
English-language examples of things sounds include:
Bang, Beep, Booing, Boom, Burp, Clap, Crackle, Hiccup,
Ping pong, Plop, Poof, Thud, Tick-tock, Squish, Swoosh, Zap, Ka-boom, Ding-don,
Bam.
b. Machine
sounds
Some very common of machine sounds are usually
described with:
Automobile (horn) - "honk"
Automobile (engine) - "vroom"
Automobile (tires) "screech" for the
tires
Train
(crossing a junction) - "clickety-clack",
Train (whistle) - "choo-choo"
Train (cash register) - "ka-ching"
Camera - "click"
Telephone - "ring"
Riffle/gun - "bang"
From the above examples, we can see that this
sounds has the largest and various in numbers. The thing cannot produce their
own sounds without the help from the third person to produce the sound that the
things make.
3. Sounds of
Nature
Some very common of nature sounds are usually described with:
Wind - "wuizz", Water -
"splash", Tree breaking - "crack" , Light - "flash", Bulb - "blab".
Sound of nature is the least one among the three
above. From the examples we obtain, we can see that the sound that the nature
produce is not far from the characteristics of the nature.
III.
Indonesian Onomatopoeia
In Indonesia language, the term of onomatopoeia is
called onomatope. Kamus Besar Bahasa
Indonesia of National Education Department (2005: 799) explains that onomatope
is word that imitated the sounds or the voice of something produces, like the
sound of a mouse is "cicit" and "kokok" is the sound of a
cock.
Hanafi (1986: 37) says that onomatope or
onomatopoeia is a word whose sound imitates the actual sound to which it
refers, such as "gedebuk", "braak", and
"kukuruyuk". Poets use this onomatope or onomatopoeia in which the words they use sound like the very things
being named or written about.
Onomatope or onomatopoeia has no limits to its
usage. It is a long usage that can fit in many subjects. Having a voice and an
ear one prerequisite it, unless one is without the use of hearing and speaking.
Syahbana (2005: 2) says that just like English, in Indonesian language,
onomatopoeia is formed from the sound it produces. Even there are some Names of
the products taken from the sounds that it produces, such "mesin
tik", "penjepret", "pemantik" and some others.
Syahbana (2005: 4) stated that in Indonesian, the
sounds of animals do show a lot of variations. Meanwhile natural sounds other
than the ones animals make are more interesting to observe because being remote
from the human vocal apparatus.
In Bahasa Indonesia natural sounds are challenged
to the imaginations, but they are also much harder. The sound of a cat or a dog
makes is easily identifiable everywhere, but when a heavy objects falls, the
sound it makes varies according to what it is or what it falls on and different
cultures that Indonesia has such as Java, Batak, Sunda, Papua, etc are going to
divide up natural sounds in endless different ways. Besides, speakers of other
native languages will choose to imitate natural sounds we don not even think of
mimicking.
Let us see the things that just three cultures
unrelated languages, choose to imitate (though transcribing the syllables they
use would require too many phonetic symbols). For examples: The sound of a
thing falls: it may produce, gedebuk, buuk, bruuk, gedubrak, gedebak, etc.
1. Sounds of
Animal
For animal sounds, the following words are typically used in
Indonesian. Some of these examples are taken from Moelyono (1988: 54)
Bee - "ngung" or "berdengung", Bird
- "cicit", or "menicicit", Cat - "ngeong" or
"mengeong", Chicken- "cicit" or "mencicit", Crow- "gak..gak", Cow
-"moo", "boo" or "melenguh", Dog -
"guk…guk" or "menggonggong", Duck- "Kwek", Flies
- "nguung" or "berdengung", Goat - "mbeek" or
"mengembik", Horse - "hiii" or "meringkik", Lion
- "aum" or "mengaum", Mouse -"ciit…ciit" or
"mencicit", Rooster- "kukuruyuk" or "berkokok", Snake-'ssss"
or "mendesis", Wolf-"auuu" or "melolong", Hen -
"kotek" or "berkotek",
If we take a look back at those animals sounds, we
can see some interesting habits across languages. The sound of the cat makes
almost always begins with "m" as does the cow "moo" in
English. There are probably some general human tendencies here too, probably
exceeding primitive ones. Notice the way the thin sound that most small birds
make is in like vowel in every one of the examples above.
From the examples above in Bahasa Indonesia, we
could see that the verbs play an important role in creating some sentences.
Although there are not verbs for the animals sound available.
2. Sounds of
Things
a. Some very common
Indonesian-language examples of things sounds include:
dor, bib, toing, buuk, puk, kretek, clup, kreek,
sreet, tik..tik, toing, byaar, ting, tong, duar.
b. Machine
sounds
Some very common of machine sounds in Indonesian
language are usually described with:
Automobile (horn) - "tin..tin"
Automobile (engine) - "bruum"
Automobile (tires) "ciit" for the tires
Train
(crossing a junction) - "jus..jus", “juk gijak gijuk”
Train (whistle) - "tuut…tut"
Camera - "ckick" or "jepret"
Telephone - "kring" or "dring"
Riffle/gun - "dor"
3. Sounds of
Nature
Some very common of nature sounds in Indonesian language are usually
described with:
Wind - "siiir", Water - "cprat", Tree breaking -
"kreek", Light - "gledar", Bulb - "duar".
In Indonesian language the sound produced can be used as a verb and as
a noun. For examples:
A goat "mbeek" , Kami mendengar kambing itu mengembik
(verb)
A door opened forcedly "dobrak", Polisi mendobrak
pintu kamar para penjahat itu (verb)
A cigarette burn "kretek", Ayah membeli rokok kretek (noun)
A typewriter "tik…tik", Sekretaris itu menulis surat dengan sebuah
mesin tik (noun).
From the above explanation and examples, we can see
that onomatopoeia in Indonesian is not far different from English. And surely
English onomatopoeia is not far different as well from any other language in
this world. The sound of animal in Bahasa Indonesia has various sounds. Some
animals may produce the same sounds from different animals. This also happens
to English.
The verbs that support the existence of
onomatopoeia in Bahasa Indonesia is very useful in creating some new sounds
words, either from animals, things, and nature. Although we can see the verbs
do not exist in the things, because the things need the third person to produce
the sound.
Reference
Daughlas, Jim. 1999. The Use of Onomatopoeia and the examples in English. http//
www.google.com./onomatopoeia.
Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. 2005. Kamus
Besar Bahasa Indonesia. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka.
Hanafi, Nurachman. 1986. Teori dan Seni Menerjemahkan. Ende: Nusa Indah.
Moeliono, Anton. 1988. Tata Bahasa Baku Indonesia. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka
Mordie, Mc. W. 1970. English Idioms and How to Use Them. London: Oxford University Press.
Syahbana, Ahmad. 2005. Onomatope dalam Bahasa Indonesia. http// www.google.com./onomatope
in Bahasa Indonesia.
Yule, George. 2001. The Study Of Language. Cambridge University Press.
Hi Sir,
BalasHapusI'm Erick Tandiono
After I read this article,
I think this article is simple, very interesting and easy understanding by the people and the contents of the article is really good, many information about Onomatopoeia that I get from this article. and it's very useful for me but this blog can be intersting if you add some picture for your background.
Thankyou for your attention sir Ari. I'll wait your next Article.
God Bless You..
Dear Erick,
HapusThank you for reading this posting. As far as I know, onomatopoeia is rarely analyzed by Language students. This perhaps the rare of the literature or books discuss about it. Well, anyway I hope this article can help you and the others. About picture for background...hmmm.. I'm still thinking about it. God bless you too.
read news and accurate information of Indonesian news portal and Islamic Article from akurat.co https://akurat.co/
BalasHapus