{"id":897,"date":"2010-05-31T10:00:36","date_gmt":"2010-05-31T10:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=897"},"modified":"2014-07-16T20:09:20","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T20:09:20","slug":"more-russian-onomatopoeia-or-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/more-russian-onomatopoeia-or-is-it\/","title":{"rendered":"More Russian Onomatopoeia or Is It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

It occurred to me that the best way to get a grip on lots of Russian \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0432\u0443\u043a\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [onomatopoeia] is by reading children\u2019s books. After all, onomatopoeia is used by Russian parents and grandparents to teach their little ones the first words.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much easier to say \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0438-<\/strong>\u0431\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [honk-honk] than \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [car]; \u00ab<\/strong>\u0447\u0443-<\/strong>\u0447\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [chuga-chuga] is easier than \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0435\u0437\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [train]; and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f-<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f\u00bb<\/strong> [drip-drip] is easier to pronounce than \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0436\u0434\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [rain]. Let the kids enjoy the ease and sonority of the favorable vowels-to-consonants ratio. Once their defenses are down, parents and teachers can spring all sorts of stuff on the unsuspecting kiddos, including \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [thrush] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0442\u0440\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [counterstrategy].<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s get back to business\u2026 of reading children\u2019s books. Read books by \u041a\u043e\u0440\u043d\u0435\u0439 \u0418\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u0427\u0443\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/a> [Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky] for excellent examples of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u0434\u0435\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [onomatopoeia]. The best one I can think of for animal onomatopoeia is the poem \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Mix-up<\/a>]. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0424\u0435\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0440\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [Fedora\u2019s Grief<\/a>] has lots of alliterative onomatopoeia, including this awesome line:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041a\u0443\u0434-\u043a\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span>, \u043a\u0443\u0434-\u043a\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0412\u044b \u043e\u0442\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0430 \u0438 \u043a\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/span>…\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clack-clack, clack-clack<\/p>\n

From whence you\u2019re coming and whither you\u2019re going?<\/p>\n

Remember how I said that the fun part about Russian onomatopoeia<\/a> is how one can turn many of these words into verbs and nouns:<\/p>\n

\u041a\u0432\u0430-<\/strong>\u043a\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> into \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0430\u043d\u044c\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cribit\u201d into \u201cto sound like a frog\u201d into \u201cfrog sound\u201d]<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u0430\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> into \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u043d\u044c\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cbang\u201d into \u201cto go off with a bang\u201d into \u201cbanging\u201d]<\/p>\n

Except, of course, the pesky grammar rules interfere and try to rain on my \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0430\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434 <\/strong>\u0438\u0434\u0435\u043e\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [onomatopoeia parade] – \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f-<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f\u00bb.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some Russian onomatopoeia, as it turns out, is not onomatopoeia after all, but rather a cross between onomatopoeia and special verbal modes that are derived by shortening the original infinitive:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to clap] shortens to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u043b\u043e\u043f\u00bb <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to stomp] shortens to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u043e\u043f\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043b\u0451\u043f\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to slap] shortens to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043b\u0451\u043f\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0433\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to scuttle off] shortens to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043c\u044b\u0433\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041c\u044b<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430 \u0432\u044b<\/span>\u0431\u0435\u0436\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u0438\u0437 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0438, \u043d\u043e \u0412\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u044f \u043d\u0435 \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0435\u0440\u044f<\/span>\u043b\u0441\u044f. \u041e\u043d \u0442\u043e\u043f \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438, \u0445\u043b\u043e\u043f \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438, \u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430 \u0448\u043c\u044b\u0433 \u0438 \u0441\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0430 \u0432 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0443 \u0443\u0431\u0435\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430.\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little mouse ran out of its burrow, but Vanya kept his wits about him. He stomped his little feet, clapped his little hands and the mouse scuttled back into the burrow.<\/p>\n

Compare to this:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041c\u044b<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430 \u0432\u044b<\/span>\u0431\u0435\u0436\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u0438\u0437 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0438 \u0438 \u0412\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 \u043e<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u043d\u044c \u0438\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430\u0441\u044c. \u041e\u043d\u0430<\/span> \u0437\u0430\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u043d\u043e\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0438, \u0437\u0430\u0445\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0438 \u0438 \u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430 \u0448\u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0433\u043d\u0443\u043b\u0430 \u0432 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0443.\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little mouse ran out of its burrow and Vanya\u2019s mom got very scared. She stomped her feet, clapped her hands and the mouse scuttled back into the burrow.<\/p>\n

As you can see, onomatopoeia comes in handy when talking to children. However, it is also something commonly used by writers and poems, including the ones that write for the grown-ups:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0412\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433 \u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u043e\u0442!.. \u043a\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044c \u0435\u0451 \u0437\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u043b\u0430.
\n\u0412\u043e\u0442 \u0431\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0436\u0435! \u0421\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0447\u0443\u0442… \u0438 \u043d\u0430 \u0434\u0432\u043e\u0440
\n\u0415\u0432\u0433\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0439! “\u0410\u0445!” — \u0438 \u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0447\u0435 \u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438
\n\u0422\u0430\u0442\u044c\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u0430 \u043f\u0440\u044b\u0433 \u0432 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u0438<\/span>\u0435 \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438,
\n\u0421 \u043a\u0440\u044b\u043b\u044c\u0446\u0430<\/span> \u043d\u0430 \u0434\u0432\u043e\u0440, \u0438 \u043f\u0440\u044f<\/span>\u043c\u043e \u0432 \u0441\u0430\u0434\u2026\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hoof thud! — her heart was breaking,
\nIt’s coming up! — right to the yard!
\nEvgeniy! “Ah!” — as shadow swift all of a sudden,
\nTatyana jumps to other hall and runs to garden\u2026<\/p>\n

(Can you name this poem and its author without first going to this side-by-side English-Russian translation<\/a>?)<\/p>\n

If this question is too easy, how about coming up with some examples of daily onomatopoeia (i.e. beep-beep of your alarm clock, rumble of a passing school bus, screeching of a chair in a cubicle next to you, etc) and translating them into Russian (yes, you can use a dictionary).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

It occurred to me that the best way to get a grip on lots of Russian \u00ab\u0437\u0432\u0443\u043a\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0436\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb [onomatopoeia] is by reading children\u2019s books. After all, onomatopoeia is used by Russian parents and grandparents to teach their little ones the first words. It\u2019s much easier to say \u00ab\u0431\u0438-\u0431\u0438\u00bb [honk-honk] than \u00ab\u043c\u0430\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0430\u00bb [car]; \u00ab\u0447\u0443-\u0447\u0443\u00bb [chuga-chuga] is…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1237,1248,8995],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-language","tag-russian-onomatopoeia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t