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 "wangwong" 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 - "gukguk" or "menggonggong", Duck- "Kwek", Flies - "nguung" or
"berdengung", Goat - "mbeek" or "mengembik", Horse - "hiii" or "meringkik", Lion "aum" or "mengaum", Mouse -"ciitciit" 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) - "tuuttut"
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 "tiktik", 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
www.google.com./onomatope in Bahasa Indonesia.

Bahasa

Indonesia.

Yule, George. 2001. The Study Of Language. Cambridge University Press.

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