play onomatopoeia video
Words at Play

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others


Associate Editor Serenity Carr looks at onomatopoeic words you might not expect, such as bounce and tinker.

Transcript:

When you think of the origins of a word, you think of Old English, or Old French, or Latin, or Sanskrit. But not all words come from a similar word in an older language. Some words come from imitations of the sounds associated with the thing they name. Some are obvious, like fizz, jingle, toot, and pop. Others are less obvious, like slap, bounce, tinker, and cough. So listen carefully to every grunt and murmur, to the prattle and babbling around you. You may be hearing more than just chit-chat.

Up next

play onomatopoeia video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

 

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

play video between you and i or me
I vs. Me

 

'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.

play video title words of the year 1066
Words of the Year: 1066

 

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

play alright allright video
Alright vs. All Right

 

Is 'alright' all right?

play calendar that says day today
Is It 'day today' or 'day-to-day'?

 

What about Day Tomorrow?

play body parts video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes