If you’re a San Diegan, you know that July means more than just summer and beaches: it’s the month of ComicCon!
What is ComicCon? This convention, held at the Downtown San Diego Convention Center, is the largest and most exciting convention of the year. Celebrities and fans come from all over the world to celebrate all things comic: from the books to the movies we all love!
To celebrate, we are looking at something classically comic: onomatopoeia. This long (originally Greek) word is for words that sounds like the sound they describe. Examples include animal noises (“oink” for a pig, “meow” for a cat, and “chirp” for a bird), for the sounds of machines (“honk” or “beep-beep” for car horns or “vroom” for an engine).
Onomatopoeia is also commonly used in comic books to describe the actions in the comics. The sounds made when characters are talking or laughing, or the sounds of comic characters fighting one another, are best described using onomatopoeia.
Onomatopoeia in comics
AHA!
A moment of realization
Example: Aha! Here are my keys! I’ve been looking for them.
BAM!
A large slam of doors; an explosion.
Example: We were just talking and then BAM! the door slammed shut.
BOOHOO
The sound of crying
Example: Boohoo, it’s raining today and I can’t go surfing.
CHOMP
Loud chewing
Example: I can hear your chomps from across the room!
CRUNCH
The sound of cars crashing; the sound of crunchy foods being eaten
Example: The car came from nowhere, and then we heard a crunch.
GASP
Air being taken in when someone is surprised
Example: Gasp! I forgot my brother’s birthday!
GULP
Swallowing
Example: I can hear the “gulp, gulp, gulp” of a very thirsty person!
OUCH!
A painful cry
Example: Ouch! I just slammed my finger in the door!
PHEW!
A sigh of relief
Example: You got the job? Phew!
POW!
Someone or something being hit
Example: Pow! He hit him right in the jaw.
WHAM!
The sound of a forcible impact; striking something forcibly
Example: We heard this “wham!” sound and then realized that a bird had flown into the window!
Have you seen these words in action? Check out some comics and see if you can spot these words! And be sure to share your findings with us on CISL’s Facebook page.