Onomatopoeia | Literary Term | English Literature | Major English | Plus Two Level
Onomatopoeia refers
to words whose pronunciations imitate the sounds they describe. Dog’s
bark sounds like “woof,” so “woof” is an example of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeias
are a valuable way to describe sound, creating the actual sound in the reader’s
mind. This creates a vivid reading experience. For example, 'The wind howled,
hissed, and whooshed' is more expressive than 'The wind blew'. Onomatopoeia can
provide a poem or prose passage with sound imagery and
rhythm which express the mood of the work. Furthermore, it makes descriptions
more powerful and gives a sense of reality when readers can hear
sounds, while reading words.
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