"What is Onomatopoeia?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers
Channel: OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film
Date: 2021-02-25

What does onomatopoeia mean? What are some examples of onomatopoeia in poetry? Professor Raymond Malewitz answers these questions using an example from William Carlos Williams' poem "The Injury" and the language theories of Ferdinand de Saussure.

The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify onomatopoeia in literature but also to analyze its purposes and effects. The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/

Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.

0:00 How Language Works
1:04 Onomatopoeia Defined
3:07 Onomatopoeia in Poetry

Below are a few more videos in the series.  Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!
 
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"What is stream of consciousness?":  https://youtu.be/WaSFwO3O2SI​ 
"What is figurative language?":  https://youtu.be/c2CRxHOgxBM​ 
"What is irony?':  https://youtu.be/q6e0oNVx8Uk​ 
"What is a metaphor?":  https://youtu.be/5mPSFQ1eFUU​
"What is a simile?":  https://youtu.be/YqJrZ6OoqjU​ 
"What is hyperbole?":  https://youtu.be/IzfyNwNpUmA​
"What is a imagery?":  https://youtu.be/uX413tALG7Q​
"What is a sonnet?":  https://youtu.be/QmrKmL06J9g​
"What is metonymy?":  https://youtu.be/jydjhvOzMGQ​
"What is synecdoche?":  https://youtu.be/V3G51sJcvzg​
"What is enjambment?":  https://youtu.be/yBn2ZOwv144​
"What is satire?":  https://youtu.be/io58hl1Z0TY​
"What is juxtaposition?":  https://youtu.be/4KXVPS3FYkQ​
"What is foreshadowing?":  https://youtu.be/nc-2Jg6b0Dw​
"What is understatement?":  https://youtu.be/tW3MZ6z8KNA​
"What is rhyme?":  https://youtu.be/_9oHeL2qI6g​
"What is an unreliable narrator?":  https://youtu.be/A-lDvHT2QyQ​
"What is a genre?": https://youtu.be/Go0Mto2fOXY​ 
"What is a narrative arc?": https://youtu.be/ngpHeQZtS-w​ 
"What is a flashback?":  https://youtu.be/tjTauD53Ru4​ 
"What is personification?":  https://youtu.be/5GOfjV6u0Co​
"What is a narrator?": https://youtu.be/bCNNBxlnkjQ​
"What is a flat character vs a round character?":  https://youtu.be/IPIBTgPlK5c​
"What is symbolism?":  https://youtu.be/GR9VbSXxouM​
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part I)": https://youtu.be/SPES7Z2fjIY​
"What is a graphic narrative? (Part II)":  https://youtu.be/KEqQIB5ytcI​
"What is epistrophe?":  https://youtu.be/6rdlklOZs4o​ 
"What is poetic meter?":  https://youtu.be/S13Tg3RAUW4​
"What is a portmanteau?":  https://youtu.be/P5TdpQXTkB0​
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"What is an oxymoron?":  https://youtu.be/oXMht0mi0xc​
"What is a zeugma?": https://youtu.be/qGtjLGFPmXE​
"What is free indirect discourse?": https://youtu.be/Vw5XclD9IlQ​
"What is a vehicle and a tenor?":  https://youtu.be/dBjtFyktXhQ​
"What is the uncanny?":  https://youtu.be/4IHvGHGVAM0​
"What is a point of view?":  https://youtu.be/acURl_KBiRI​
"What is deus ex machina?": https://youtu.be/GCpGV7fOp2M​
"What is a frame story?":  https://youtu.be/cjJszH88J8A​ 
"What is ekphrasis?":  https://youtu.be/ySS-IZMPjjc​ 
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"What is an epistolary novel?": https://youtu.be/mj40J8lFu7E​ 
"What is allegory?": https://youtu.be/4IOsFCieGQA​
"What is tragedy?":  https://youtu.be/OBvVD08_0hU​
"What are euphony and cacophony?": https://youtu.be/TzELOczXWOY​
"What are assonance and consonance?": https://youtu.be/3ZQxhOcnJzE​​
"What is a setting in literature?": https://youtu.be/omsbv-hbXiM​​
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"What is persona?": https://youtu.be/_5vKV7HNXlo
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