onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: GUEST,Don Day
Date: 30 Mar 16 - 12:46 PM

I just LOVE Vin Garbutts little story from about 15 or so years ago when he related the origin of the name of a midland town built by the roman invaders. A mattress was thrown from an upper floor of a roman high-rise. "That'll do" said the mayor. "We'll call it Biddulph. Brilliant!

I still laugh at it.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: frogprince
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 06:43 PM

And sometimes, when folks are amorous but otherwise quiet, you hear a little repetitive sound that could be spelled "fwup, fwup, fwup, fwup, but that's not the spelling for that that happened to become customary.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: GUEST,Gealt
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 05:31 PM

Thomas Gray's Elegy

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea....

Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;....


http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dsucha/elegy.html

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Joe_F
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 05:24 PM

The Russian for violin is "skripka".

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: GUEST,LynnT
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 04:25 PM

And a cork in Hebrew is a 'pekak' -- emphasis on the second syllable -- which is of course the sound it makes when you pull it out of the bakbook. A pekak is also the person on a kibbutz who does whatever job needs doing -- a floater or cork filling the most immediate holes.

Lynn

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: GUEST,Brian Grayson
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 05:01 AM

Shula's 'parpar' reminded me of the utterly onomatopoeic Ivrit word for a bottle: 'bakbook'(think of the glugging sound of liquid pouring from a bottle. For that matter, 'bottle' is reminiscent of the same sound, especially when spoken by a Cockney...

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Mr Red
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 03:47 AM

in a shady nook, by a babbling brook

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 29 Mar 16 - 03:35 AM

Slash ---

In all its various senses of

Cut with a sharp instrument - both noun & verb
A stroke with a flexible instrument of corporal punishment
An act of urination

& probably others which don't arise to mind at the moment.

≈M≈

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Mar 16 - 06:31 PM

Ha! Nobody touched upon the Arabic word for BAT -- that's the Fledermaus animal, not the baseball implement.

The Arabic word for bat is "wat-wat."

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: MudGuard
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 08:18 AM

In Germany, the few ravens that are still left "krächzen"!

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: obloquy67
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 01:05 AM

I personally like finding wearable onomatopoeiae, like bangles and flip-flops, as well as edible oxymorons, such as jumbo shrimp & non-dairy creamer.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Margo
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 12:42 AM

And a cow's moo in French is appropriately meuh.

I love the bilateral butterfly symmetry.

Hey, I've heard plucked guitar strings called a twang. (That depends on how you're plucking)

I've seen a concertina's sound described as a honk. (A pleasant honk, which seems like an oxymoron to me) Isn't there a better word for that wonderful instrument?

Margarita

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: LEJ
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 04:24 PM

Not really onomatopoeic, but in one of John Masefield's poems about the sea he refers to fishing boats as "scud-thumpers", and to "the seal's wide spindrift gaze". Spindrift is the spray thrown off by breaking waves in high wind.

LEJ

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: The Shambles
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 04:18 PM

I'm with Skarpi.

Ravens 'Kronk'.

Nearly all of the local names for birds in Shetland are from their calls.

Terns are 'tirriks'. Curlews are 'whaarps' and Whimbels (which are smaller versions) are 'peerie' (small) 'whaarps'.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 03:29 PM

Hagar the Horrible's dog 'Snert' goes VOOF and Helga's duck goes KVACK

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 02:35 PM

'ouch' is 'au' in German and our roosters sound 'kikeriki', our cats, of course, 'miau', and our dogs 'wauwau'

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: cleod
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 02:29 PM

hi shula, butterfly in filipino is paru-paro -- sound familiar?

and kc, piyo piyo is also used by the japanese as the sound your beeper makes ^_^

tik-tila-ok is a rooster's crow in filipino (i used to think they sounded more like ur-urer-er!)

cat in (fookien)chinese is pronounced 'nyao' and dog is 'kao'

question: what is 'ouch' in other languages? I know it's 'aray' in filipino and 'itai' in japanese...

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Barbara
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 01:32 PM

a sussurus of wind in the grass
slime
wiggly
being around too much tintinabulation can give you tintinitis

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 01:05 PM

I suppose cacophany would be the word.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 12:55 PM

Hey Roger,

It was just like that in Bahrain.
At some unearthly hour the Muezzin would walk through the village on his way to the Mosque.
At the sound of his footsteps the neighbor's dog would start barking, this would wake up the dog down the street who would wake up a rooster or two, who would wake up a donkey.

Eventually all the barking and crowing and braying would quieten down.
Then the Muezzin would start his call which would start the dog barking which would again waken every animal in the village.

Eventually, just as it started getting quiet again the first of the faithful would walk down the street on the way to their prayers and the dog would............

Bert.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 11:49 AM

While we're on animal sounds, Donald Swann (of Flanders and...)used to do a song ,allegedly in Greek (must have been ancient Greek of Katheravousa 'cos I could't recognise any of the words), which was like "Old MacDonald had a farm" with cats going "mew mew" etc , and the title "Kokoraki" was supposed to be "cock-a-doodle-do" in Greek. Perhaps Theodore can enlighten us if it is genuine!
Whenever I'm in Greece, the cockerels seem to wake up just after the dogs go to sleep but before the donkeys and goats start! An extra Metaxas 3-star usually helps me sleep through!
Xerete

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 10:21 AM

If you listen carefully, Steve, they actually say 'nevermore'. This is true. And yes, I have been down the pub this lunchtime. So have you, judgfinbg bny yuore trypiongg.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 03:49 AM

But is it der die or das? Ireally should learn the language. Actually, I think I'm one of the very few people who enjoys grammar.

Nice one, Skarpi - it does kind of roll off the tongue! There was a science fiction novel in the seventies called "Kronk" (from the noise mafde by a raven in the last chapter). It was written by a British author; which is strange, begause our ravens go "caw".

Steve

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 03:39 AM

Andreas,
fine words, now should we try to come up with one that is longer than one line here and look what it does to Max' editor?

Steve,
it was gentle fun and never a doubt about it. I only answered at such length for the idea to make up your own words by putting them together always has puzzled me. I once met an Englishman in the Lake District who was teacher of German. After a couple of pints we went to the loo together (which had no urinals, just a wall) and I started urinating figures at the wall. He then asked me in German: "Would it be proper German if I now called you 'Kunstpinkler'?" (artful pisser) Yes I said and that's a sign that you really are good in German when you start making your own words and they are correct German.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: skarpi
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 01:36 PM

Halló folks,

mine is " krunk,krunk" sound from the rawen wicth we call " krummi " here in Iceland. we have a song about the raven or krummi and I think Ill write it down for you.

krummi krunkar úti, kallar á nafna sinn, Ég fann höfuð á hrúti, hrygg og gæruskinn. krunk,krunk, kroppaðu með mér, krummi nafni minn.

If you want to know what those words mean I might tell you later, we have a few more about the raven.

bless skarpi Iceland.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: MudGuard
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 01:35 PM

Wolfgang,
what about Straßenbahnschienenritzenreinigungsfahrzeugherstellerchefsekretärin...(secretary of the boss of the company producing the vehicles to clean the railways of an urban tramway)
Andreas

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Wotcha
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 12:55 PM

The German word for Owl is [sorry if the spelling is off] Uhu ( pronounced OO-h-oo).

The American Indian word used by a tire dealership in Oklahoma: "Ugh"

Cheers, Brian

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 12:29 PM

Hi Wolfgang, thanks for clarifying things! I hope you don't get the impression that I'm making fun of the German language, or the people who speak it ... well, maybe I am, but only gentle fun, and I can take it just as well as dish it out. If any offence was taken, I apologise - but don't get mad, get even!

I actually got Hottentot.. from a guy called Fritz Spiegel, who was German before the war, but hurriedly became British just before it started. He's written a good many humorous books (in English!), including one called (if memory serves) "Funny peculiar and funny ha-ha". (Hottentot.. was in the introduction.) It comprised newspaper cuttings in the nature of "General flies back to front" (ha-ha) and "Folksinger killed by transvestite" (peculiar).

Now French - there's a language where it's almost impossible not to sound pompous. We can say "the king of England's hat", which may be silly to a foreigner, but "the hat of the king of England", while unambiguous, sounds ... well, silly.

Steve

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Wolfgang
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 11:18 AM

let's not forget 'mama' which resembles the first natural sucking sound (that's why mama in Latin stand for breast) and 'bahbah' which is the first natural sound of disgust. (I'm serious about the first part of the argument)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Fergus
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 10:12 AM

Of course, English has some potential for similar things: Hence words like 'antidisestablishmentarianism'. It's just that usually the compounds only have one 'standard' word combined with as many prefixes and suffixes as you like.

But just stringing words together isn't too rare either - take 'goalkeeper', or 'coatmaker' or whatever. It's not such a standard thing as in German. I wonder if it's rarer in other languages?

As for onomatopeia - let us not forget 'bubble' and 'globule'.

And Schplutt.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Wolfgang
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 09:14 AM

just for the record, 'tank' in German is 'Panzer', not a very long word. There might have been a longer word when the tanks first arrived, but surely not nearly as long as fadac seems to think. But that's a rule in all languages: words tend to be shortened when they are used often, there is an inverse relationship between length of a word and frequency of usage. Just one example, both from English and German. 'Radio' in both languages was a much longer word when it was introduced. Or think of those broadside song titles like (I make it up): "A mournful story about the life and horrible death of the murderer..." which, if the song has survived at all, are known today under much shorter titles.

For Steve Parkes, and others:
Hottentottenpotentatentantenattentat is a word I never heard or saw yet, but can understand (after rereading at least twice). German has that peculiar property that there is no more or less fixed amount of words, but you can make up your own words by putting two, three,.. together. So my little daughter last week while playing said 'Korbschiff' ('basketship'), when she was using playfully a basket as a ship. It's not in the dictionary, I don't think I ever heard it before, but everybody can understand it (in the appropriate context). It is not so amazing as it sounds. In English, you have the ability to make sentences that have never been read or heard before and you expect with full right that you will be understood. The number of possible sentences is infinite. So we just start a level earlier and the number of correct German words is infinite. You often put two words behind each other to give a new meaning and we just leave away the blanks, that's all. You would write, e.g., 'skiing ace' where we would form 'Skias' (not in any dictionary). Where we say 'Eishockeyweltmeisterschaft' you would say 'Ice hockey world championship' (or so) and the French would need seven words, saying 'championat du monde en hockey sur glace'. Same as there's no strict limit for the length of sentences in English, there's no strict limit for 'compound'words in German. However, from a certain length on a sentence may still be correct English, but no longer good English; similarly, from a certain length on (3 basic words) a compoundword may still be correct German, but no longer good German. Hottentottenpotentatentantenattentat surely is out of bounds though it would be easy to prolong it, e.g. as 'Hottentottenpotentatentantentintenattentat'. 'Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft' (company for steam shipping on the Danube river) is about the longest word on record for a German word that has not been made up on purpose and, of course, it has been used as a basis for mockingly 'go to further lenghts': 'Donaudampfschiffartsgesellschaftskapitänswitwenpension' (the pension of the widow of the captain of the company...'). There's no limit to this game, except understandability, as in sentences.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Penny S.
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 08:35 AM

I seem to remember being told that Waggawagga in Oz gets its name from the crows there.

Penny

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 08:08 AM

I don't think that's the meaning it would get where I come from!

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Theodore Alexiou
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 04:54 AM

Dear katlaughing

"titravate" in Greek are two words "ti travate" and thye exact translation is "what do you pull" but we use it by the meaning of "you have a problem" or "is a bad situatuion" etc.

Theodore

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 04:14 AM

Old English/Anglo Saxon - a cow is called a 'cuu', and a crow is a 'ca'.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 17 Jun 99 - 01:57 AM

Playing "Dictionary" (sometimes called "Fictionary") one night with friends, someone came up with "cloop" from one of my old dictionaries. True definition turned out to be "the sound of a cork being extracted from a wine bottle." No one chose the correct definition, of course, because it sounded like a joke.

Sandy

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: LEJ
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 09:51 PM

McGwire strides to the plate, the dry ground crunches beneath his spikes. The crowd murmurs with anticipation, while the Announcer babbles into the microphone. McGwire taps home plate with the bat and assumes his stance- the pitcher winds up, and gives a snort as the ball leaves his hand. The high hanging slider hisses toward the catcher, but McGwire makes contact and the crack of the bat splits the air. Fireworks crackle as the ball sails out of the park, only to smash the windshield of a Chevy Suburban parked outside. Flashbulbs pop and the home crowd roars as Mac rounds the bases. In the distance a muffled thud is heard as Ruth's record hits the dust.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Shula
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 09:48 PM

Dear Bert et al,

Doin' remarkably well, "EK-chew-ly," thanks much for askin.' And as for BS (bilateral symmetry, what else?), not to "like" it would be positively anti-human...especially, one might suppose, for the male of the species.

"The Marvelous Toy" is a long-time favourite with my guys and quite a few other children-of-indeterminate-age of our acquaintance, as well. We do it, as Joe O. can attest, complete with explosive sound effects. It was our son Joel's nightly request for three or four pre-school years , because the "noises" in "The MARBLE-ous Toy" made him giggle himself giddy.

Another excellent children's song with "noises" is The Ugly Duckling" from "Hans Christian Andersen." Hope others will expand the discussion from these two titles into a proper list.

Ever,

Shula

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Max
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 08:33 PM

Hi Shula! How're ya doin? I just LOVE bilateral Symmetry
KC, That's one of my favorite songs, I sing it a lot, even tho' I'm a guy
Bert.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: WyoWoman
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 08:12 PM

"A thing's a phallic symbol if it's longer than it's wide, And the Id goes marching on....

"Glory, glory psychotherapy, Glory, glory sexuality, Glory, glory, now we can be free, And the Id goes marching on...."

(From a Melanie album back when the Earth was young and so was I, sung to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic")

Somewhere up there, someone said "piyo,piyo" is Japanese for the sound birds make. "Pio, pio" is the Spanish. Do only English-speaking birds go "cheep, cheep?"

Have you heard about that terrible sickness going on now with the pet bird population?

Yup, it's called Chirpes. ...

It's a canarial disease. ...

And it's very hard to tweet.

Ok, ok. I'm leaving now.

KC

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Shula
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 08:02 PM

Dear folks,

To return to the point, "swittle"'s'wonderful! Surprised no one mentioned "boing." As for smartarse, how about the word "yonic" derived, so I'm told, from the Hindu(?) word "yoni," meaning "female genitalia," as an opposite descriptor to "phallic?" But I digress. Personal favourite ONOMATOPŒIA: "par-par." (transliterated Hebrew for "butterfly). Said with a Hebrew accent, the "r's" roll ever so softly, making a wee flutter like the wings of a butterfly. Has a sort of bi-lateral symmetry to boot.

Now how about ONOMATOPŒIA in SONG? "The Marvelous Toy" comes to mind.

Shalom,

Shula

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: catspaw49
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 01:17 PM

Steve, Let me explain about kat......well, that's impossible, but let me explain the phallic thing. Every now and again, male or female, we kitties go through certain times where our body chemistry takes over everything else. In my younger days I'd spend weeks on end prowling and howling and having the occasional shoe thrown at me. Our dear kat seems to be in one of these heated times where even a pancake takes on a phallic aura. I was very concerned when I heard that the Pony Express rider was missing in Wyoming, but happily kat was not involved. It'll pass.

catspaw

Subject: Lyr Add: ZE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (V Herbert, H Blossom
From: MMario
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 01:12 PM

Thread creep! But at least it's a song; found out on the Levy Site when it still ran fast enough to see things...

MMario

In England I haf stay here, it is a funny land
I vork here und I play here but I do not understand
I study hard ze langvich it makes me much amuse
I could not learn ze cant vich all ze Englisch people use.

Until at last I fount zat zey turn ev'ryzing around
Zey say a gown is ripping when it's sewn with greaest care
Zey say zat zey are "out of sight" when really zey are there
Zey say when zey are "hoarse" zat in ze throat zey haf ze frogs
Zey say it's beastly weather when it's raining catz und dogz!

A juggler does not touch a jug, a skipper never skips
Und ev'ry waiting waiter know a tipper seldom tips
Do Butterflies make butter? Zat's a think I'd like to know
Do lightning bugs cause lightning and why is it crows don't crow?
It's called a modest lunchen when zey haf ze salad "dressed"
Und_if your piano's upright must its music be the best?

Is Vinter vhen ze snow has fell I've heard them say "it's cold as... "well,
'Tis hard to comprehend ze englisch langvich!

Each Day I add a few verds to my vocabulair
I learn zo many new verds that I make my friends to stare
I hold a converzation with anyvun I know
Und my pronunziation zey all say iz vunderfol

But it vas hardt to choose from all ze diverent verds zey use
Zey call a bunch off sheep a flock, a flock off hay a stack!
Zey call a stack off fisch a school, a school off volves a pack!
A packk off chickens make a brood, a brood off deer a herd
A herd off actors make a troop, und there's another verd!

Zey say a string off horses and zey say a string off pearls
And say a galaxy off stars; a befy off young girls
Zey say a nest off hornets, und zey say a svarm off flies
Zey say a breach off scandal breeds an awful pack off lies

Zey Say a horde off savagees zey say a mob off men
Zey say a gang off laborers (und other things, but then!)
If rough spells "rough" vhy is it "through" is not call'd "thruff"
'tis hartd to comprehend ze Englisch langwich!

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: cleod
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 12:55 PM

Actually, 'pernickitie/pernickity' means cantankerous or touchy in scottish...

'Nyaa-nyaa' = Japanese for 'meow' and 'piyo-piyo' is their version of 'cheep-cheep'

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Fadac
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 12:49 PM

I believe that the word for tank, in WWI German was (one word now) AVeachialThatGoesOverTheWireAndOverTheTenchWithA BigGunToKillTheEnemey. Whew! There may have been some sybles about making lots of noise too.

There was a Lyza Menoly song about a "Tit Sling", Then there is the "Over the sholder boulder holder." Or the infamous "Double Barrall sling shot". In the early days of home computing my wife had a T shirt that said "Duel Flppies" Hmmmm The graphic showed the old (very) 8" flops.

Howcome in English, we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Of course we are upside down, our nose runs and our feet smell. Then why are they called apartments when they are all together? And why is it a pair of pants, can I buy one pant?

-Fadac

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 12:27 PM

Damn! I got another </I> wrong again!

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 12:26 PM

Oh, Katl, how can breasts be phallic?! I don't know enough Greek to tell you the right word (some other smartarse will, though!), but I happen to know that sine (as in trigonometry) comes from the Sanskrit word for "bosom"^*. Now there's an intersting word: both with singular and plural forms, and a collective noun as well.

Bustenhalter is one of those words that give German a bad name. I realy must learn the language one of these days. Why call something a "bra" when you can call it a, well, a "bust halter"? Why say "tank" when you can say "armoured warfare vehicle"? And what other language has a word for an attempt on the life of the aunt of a Hottentot potentate^**? And German onomatopoeia must be really something else, the way they spell!

Steve

^*Actually, I'm a leg man myself.
^** Hottentotenpotentatentantentotenattenten

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Llanfair
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 12:00 PM

In Germany, they call bras "bustenhalsters" Does that sound like onomatapaea? There is an interesting little book called "The Book of Liff", which contains some very creative descriptions. For example "NANTWICH The dampest thing in the fridge between two of the dryest things in the fridge....a popular late night snack" or DELAWARE..The hideous stuff on the shelves of a rented house. Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 11:32 AM

PeterT: that reminds me of what we used to call the brassieres our mothers wore in the 50's. They had concentric stitching all the way out to the point, were fairly stiff cotton and really made the breasts stick straight up and out, so.....we called them "torpedo tit bras"! (Why, oh why, does everything take on that phallic look/connotation?)

katlaughing

Subject: RE: onomatopoeias: your favorites in all language
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 10:43 AM

'paw:
& Howlin' Wolf "wang dang doodle"?? ;o)