# The power of sounds - or onomatopaeic aspects of words?



## ThomasK

In Dutch we have _drukken _(press, ...), _drijven_ (drive, _dringen _(push, ...), and _dwingen _(to force). All kinds of force-ful verbs beginning with (by ?) _*dr*_-. And we have _trekken _(pull), there is the French _trainer (_to drag): _*tr*_- as well...  It can be useful as a mnemo[tech]nic[al] trick for language students, but may we assume that - for example - these words  have been withheld because of their sound structure? I do not mean to suggest that they were "created" based on this powerful combination as there are other _*dr-/tr-*_words where power is not in play... ;-)  --- By the way, I just bumped into our word "kracht" (German _Kraft_, English _power/ force_), with a *p*owerful *kr*-...

The question for me is only: how do you describe this phenomenon? Just as a funny/intriguing coincidence, or is there more to it? What then?


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## entangledbank

It's called sound symbolism. Onomatopoeia is different, it's the attempted representation of actual sounds: dogs go _woof_, cocks go _cock-a-doodle-do_, you fall into the water with _splash_. Sound symbolism is common in English; I haven't read anything about it in other languages. A writer could invent a sound effect like _sploop_ or _scrinch_ or _gloink_ and it would be partly understood by its resemblance to existing words. Initial _sl-_ is often used for 'thin' movement like _slide_ and _slip_ and _slink_, but change the ending to _-op_ and it becomes more 'wet': _slop_ joins _plop_ and _drop_. There is more of a 'heavy' fall into a final position in _slump_, which is like _hump_, _bump_, _lump_, _dump_. Initial _gl-_ is often about faint light: _glow, gleam, glitter, glisten_. We use _cr-_ for breaking noises: _crunch, crack, creak_, and this can combine with the end position in _crumple_.

Maybe not all of these are convincing: there are family resemblances, however. _Creak_ is not breaking, but still it's almost threatening to break; it also shades off into another set, the slow movements of _creep_ and _crawl_.


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## ThomasK

Perfect! Yes, that is a word I have heard before, but... Yes, yes, yes! 

But you're quite right: this seems to work for Germanic languages maybe, but French has _casser, _nothing like _break. _There is _fracture_, etc., but fairly formal, for nouns rather, I think, whereas I would not associate forceful _br_- with fire, as in with _brûler _(burn), although…


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## Awwal12

ThomasK said:


> But you're quite right: this seems to work for Germanic languages maybe, but French has _casser, _nothing like _break._


Because, obviously, it isn't directly tied to certain lexemes. Sound symbolism by itself seems just to slowly influence the vocabulary through the increased probability of certain lexemes to survive and spread. It should be noted, however, that pure onomatopoeia also is a pretty important factor in language development. Many PIE and early IE words (with numerous descendants among the living languages) look onomatopoeic in origin.


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## bearded

entangledbank said:


> Initial _gl-_ is often about faint light: _glow, gleam, glitter, glisten_


That reminds me of Germanic _alliteration_ ('Stabreim' in German):

''_Weh mir, waltend Gott, Wehschicksal geschieht!_''
_''Er glitt auf glitschrigem Glimmer.._''

I would like to know more about the relationship between alliteration and 'sound symbolism'.


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## ThomasK

@Awwal12: if that is a hypothesis, it is quite plausible indeed. (I wondered an hour ago about bl-words. The IE base is said to refer to swelling, and lots of our animal-o-Phone verbs have bl (_blaffen, blaten_, …), which implies some force, but not an agressive one…). 

Thanks for the concept of 'lexemes'. I knew about 'phonemes", but 'lexemes'.... Not really. What would be the semantic equivalent (similar underlying meaning)? A concept simply, I guess, and I suppose that is not a technical linguistic term. Oh, if it were…

@bearded: Awwal or someone else will have a better answer, I guess, but I suppose an alliteration makes use of - or exploits - sound symbolism… On the other hand it was also a mnemo(tech)nic(al) trick, I think, for the "declamator". Looking forward to other answers, probably better...


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## Circunflejo

ThomasK said:


> French has _casser, _nothing like _break. _


In Spanish, for to break we have the usual romper, but also fracturar, tronchar and quebrar, among others. And we have presionar for press and pull; depending on context.


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## pollohispanizado

Sound symbolism or phonesthesia. 



> Sound symbolic words cannot be broken down into smaller units of meaning. Sound clusters are not treated as morphemes. Words beginning with /gl/ (glitter, gleam, glow, glisten, etc.) pertain to light reflection but [gl] on its own has no meaning nor does every other word with /gl/ refer to light.


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## Penyafort

Several European languages have a tendency to associate sibilants like /ʃ/ (sh) to verbs related to sounds done with lips and tongue, or sounds alike, such as windy ones.

In Catalan, to mention a few: 
(x = ɕ , tx =t͡ɕ , j = ʑ) 
_(Notice how the translations to English also have a sibilant)_

*xarbotejar, xipollejar, xopinejar, esquitxar* = squash, sprinkle, slosh​​_*xiular *_= whistle​​*xiuxiuejar *= whisper​​_*xisclar *_= shriek, scream, screech​​_*xuclar *_= suck​​_*xarrupar *_= slurp​​_*xumar *_= drink straight from the bottle​​_*xuixar *_= (the wind) whisper near the chimney​


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## ThomasK

We have something similar, indeed, but I think we more often have a combination of a sibilant + liquida, or sibilant + semivowel perhaps, as in slurpen, zwelgen (swallkow), slikken (id.)... We do have suizen resembling xuixar, but...


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## jmx

This post might be of interest ... for those who understand Spanish.


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## pollohispanizado

La erre fortísima es justamente un fonema del español que me rrre encanta.


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## ThomasK

I think the 'r' in Germanic languages works quite differently: it needs a preceding plosive to work (br..., burst, …)… In fact there is a tendency in the Netherlands to vocalize the 'r' completely… Just guessing, but interesting and funny observation. I suppose it does not work for Italian; the Spanish 'r' is, errr, stronger/…, I think.


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## Perseas

ThomasK said:


> In Dutch we have _drukken _(press, ...), _drijven_ (drive, _dringen _(push, ...), and _dwingen _(to force). All kinds of force-ful verbs beginning with (by ?) _*dr*_-.


That reminded me of something I had read some time ago about the Greek letter *Γ *(Gamma).
I don't remember what the exact statement was, but it was about that some words that begin or contain the letter *Γ* denote some kind of "angle":
*γωνία* [γonía] (=angle);
*γόνατο* [γónato] (=knee);
*γάντζος* [γándzos] (=hook);
*άγκιστρο* [áŋɟistro] (= hook);
*αγκώνας* [aŋgónas] (=elbow);
*αγκύλη* [aŋɟíli] (=angle bracket);
*άγκυρα *[áŋɟira](=anchor).


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## Perseas

bearded said:


> That reminds me of Germanic _alliteration_ ('Stabreim' in German):


Alliteration is a figure of speech. An example from Oedipus Rex by Sophocles:
«*τ*υφλὸς *τ*ά *τ*᾽ ὦ*τ*α *τ*όν *τ*ε νοῦν *τ*ά *τ*᾽ ὄμμα*τ*᾽ εἶ» where it is an alliteration of *τ*. (Translation: _you are blind in your ears, your mind and your eyes_).
I guess it exists in Italian as well.


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## bearded

Perseas said:


> I guess it exists in Italian as well.


Oh sure! 
 From Petrarca's _Canzoniere: _''di me medesmo meco mi vergogno'' (approximately ''I feel ashamed within myself''): m-alliteration.
Your example from Sophocles is very interesting.


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## Dajbog

ThomasK said:


> In Dutch we have _drukken _(press, ...), _drijven_ (drive, _dringen _(push, ...), and _dwingen _(to force). All kinds of force-ful verbs beginning with (by ?) _*dr*_-. And we have _trekken _(pull), there is the French _trainer (_to drag): _*tr*_- as well...  It can be useful as a mnemo[tech]nic[al] trick for language students, but may we assume that - for example - these words  have been withheld because of their sound structure? I do not mean to suggest that they were "created" based on this powerful combination as there are other _*dr-/tr-*_words where power is not in play... ;-)  --- By the way, I just bumped into our word "kracht" (German _Kraft_, English _power/ force_), with a *p*owerful *kr*-...
> 
> The question for me is only: how do you describe this phenomenon? Just as a funny/intriguing coincidence, or is there more to it? What then?


In Serbian we have:
drukati - to pump
drkati - jerk off
drmati - shake, jig


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## ThomasK

I have missed some of your contributions, I am sorry. But:
@Perseas: very interesting information regarding the gamma! As for alliteration:: thanks for the additional information, but I was playing safe by referring to Germanic assimilation as I was not aware of the use of alliteration in other languages... I suppose the t alliteration makes it extremely strong.
@bearded : do you associate anything with m? I think of softness, smoothness, but that does not rhyme with shame, I guess. Or?
@Dajbog: interesting parallel, thanks for informing me!
@jmx : I had a look at the page, but are you referring to final letters in general or to the final 'r', as in the last contribution? (I can decipher Spanish, but ....)


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## jmx

The most relevant part of Duvija's post is this:





> ... en 'sound symbolism' se ve que la rr en castellano está en palabras como 'derrotar, romper, reventar, derruir, arrollar, repulsión, guerra, garrote, etc. - hay muchas.


That is, words meaning to defeat, break, burst, tear down, run over, repulsion, war, club/cudgel, and many more in that style, include the 'strong' multivibrant trill [r].


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## bearded

ThomasK said:


> do you associate anything with m? I think of softness, smoothness, but that does not rhyme with shame,


I think that in general you are right (e.g. _mamma = _mother/mom...). Please note that in my quotation the m expresses something intimate or personal (me, myself..) whereas the word 'vergogno' (am ashamed) contains no m itself.


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## ThomasK

jmx said:


> The most relevant part of Duvija's post is this:That is, words meaning to defeat, break, burst, tear down, run over, repulsion, war, club/cudgel, and many more in that style, include the 'strong' multivibrant trill [r].


I had guessed that it had to do withat letter, but was not sure. But very interesting indeed!


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