onomatopoetic words in Japanese

[loudasthesun]

i'm writing a paper on japanese onomatopoetic words, or 擬声語 (giseigo) and 擬態語 (gitaigo). it seems to me that more formal and adult writing seems to have less onomatopoeia (but still present), whereas children's books seem to be full of them (especially manga--not just in background sound effects, but in conversation as well

Comments

[solaria]

I can't specifically speak for Japanese, but it seems to me that onomatopoeia is more prevalent in children's literature in general than in more formal (adult) writing. I remember the books that were read to me when I was a child were full of them- animal noises especially, but also words such as "choo choo" for "train" because of the sound a train makes, etc. I would imagine that this is because children have a more limited vocabulary and it's easier for them to "name" an object by a sound that relates to it. I've noticed this a lot with my young cousins, who would call a dog a "woof woof" before they knew the proper term for it, for example.

The only types of onomatopeia I can think of that would occur in older literature are usually in fiction, and often used to describe a setting or, as you said, as background noise. For example: anything about the bees "buzzing".

(Native English speaker, btw)

[doctorfedora]

There's a difference between the aforementioned "choo-choo" and common Japanese onomatopoeia-style words: they generally fit the syllabic pattern of ABAB, but oddly enough they are common in all but formal writing and speech. I suppose that the Japanese are sufficiently used to them that they don't find them silly-sounding or anything, but rather simply more expressive or more visual or whatever.

As for stuff like "choo-choo," you do have words like "wan-chan" for dogs that are in fact exclusively baby-talk.

[worldmage]

I've noticed this too. The way I figure it, children's books in America are written in colloquial English, so why should it be any different in other countries? It seems to me that the onomatopoeias in Japanese are just more informal, more expressive ways of saying things. They're not that uncommon in casual speech, you just don't see them much in situations where formal language is the default, such as books written for adult consumption.

[lexabear]

Nothing new to add, but ZOMG manga! The utter ridiculousness of the onomatopoea!! Where there are such things as the sound someone's eyes make as they move back and forth! And so specific things as... I don't know... the sound a slug's fart makes on velcro! I don't know if that one's been used yet, but there's a chance it has!

[hedgerose]

I once saw "Suprise!" used as a sound effect in manga.

...it was really disturbing.