Onomatopoeias In Modern English

Onomatopoeia, in simple words, is the imitation of natural sounds in word form. Compared to non-onomatopoeic words, onomatopoeias are direct descriptions of sounds which have vivid effect.English has a rich set of onomatopoeic words in broad range of usage. Though there is no lack of study in English onomatopoeia, most studies mainly focus on formal description on sentential level and rhetorical function. In this thesis, I would attempt to make a comprehensive study of onomatopoeia based on phonetic, semantic and syntactic functions, structure, and usages, as well as its rhetoric function. The summary of this thesis is given below:First of all, I introduce how different dictionaries define onomatopoeia in different ways and the symbolic quality of onomatopoeia such as phonetic symbolism. Then, I will concentrate on a controversial question: the arbitrariness of onomatopoeia.Secondly, among the different classifications of onomatopoeia given by scholars, I adopt Stephen Ullmann's way to classify onomatopoeia( primary onomatopoeia and secondary onomatopoeia). Primary onomatopoeia can be further divided into animal onomatopoeia, human-related onomatopoeia, and natural phenomenon-related onomatopoeia, while secondary onomatopoeia has two sources: phonaesthemes and kinaesthemes.Thirdly, the linguistic characteristics of English onomatopoeia which are related to phonological, morphological, semantic, and syntactic aspects are described in detail.Fourthly, onomatopoeia, due to its rhetorical function of enhancing directness, vividness and imagery of language expression, can be widely used in literature, child language, advertisement language, and pot culture.Finally, the study of onomatopoeia has great help and value to the English vocabulary learning. By analyzing these aspects of onomatopoeia, I make the generalizations of English on the one hand and present characteristics particular to English on the other hand.It is hoped that by studying the linguistic features of English onomatopoeia, its usage and rhetoric function, this paper will be of some help for those who are working in this field.