Words Taste: exploration in the world of onomatopoeic words in different languages

Onomatopoeia, or words that reproduce the sounds of the surrounding world, are found in every language. However, a funny feature of this phenomenon is that different nations perceive, for example, the pop of an exploding ball or the quacking of a duck in different ways.

So, what is the barking of a dog in French or the chirping of a bird in Finnish?

Questions of style and preferences are different for everyone. At the end of the previous year, it turned out that the American magazine Time is surprisingly conservative. The magazine's proposal to ban the use of the word "feminist" caused a real flurry of emotions. It should be noted that the editorial board of the magazine subsequently apologized.

Also of great interest was the discussion of slang words such as bae (which is sometimes used as an abbreviation for babe), turnt (meaning "drunk" or "excited") and yaaasssss (a variant of the word yes). Many of the words given in the magazine were already known, at least to native English speakers. Some of them have already lost their freshness. However, there is one interesting expression with which it is difficult to disagree. The phrase om nom nom nom is based on an important linguistic principle.

Its predecessor is the expression yum yum yum, and both phrases are based on the repetition of sounds that mimic chewing. Since these sounds are produced by air passing through the nasal cavity, we can easily imagine a mouth full of food when we hear them.

Usually, the sounds of a word are not related to its meaning. However, when this happens, linguists talk about iconicity. This concept is also known as onomatopoeia.

Phrases like om nom nom nom will never disappear from speech.

Interestingly, their structure is generally the same in different languages:

• Danish: nam nam, mam mam
• French: miam-miam
• Turkish: ham hum, nam nam
• Finnish: nam nam, nami nami
• Indonesian: nyam nyam
• Hungarian: nyam-nyam

You might assume that the same concepts can be easily recognized, for example, in French and Chinese. However, it is not! Onomatopoeia is the result of the process of passing a non-linguistic sound through the prism of linguistic sounds, that is, a system consisting of phonemes - the main elements that form the meaning of speech.

Regardless of whether you use "miam-miam" or "niam-niam", onomatopoeic words serve as a kind of universal designations of our impressions of the world around us. They reflect an intuitive perception of the sounds of nature, animals, technology and even human emotions. The study of onomatopoeic words opens up new horizons for us in understanding the differences and similarities in how we perceive and describe the world.

Interestingly, such words can be funny and even evoke an emotional response. Who won't smile when they hear "tink-tink" in Arabic or "kwak-kwak" in Italian?

Onomatopoeic words certainly play an important role in linguistics. They can shed light on how languages are formed and developed, as well as on how cultures perceive sounds around them. And although they may sound funny, they are a serious study for those who are interested in language and culture issues.

In addition, they contribute to immersion in a foreign language. Recognizing and using onomatopoeic words can help deepen cultural understanding and improve communication skills.

So, the next time you hear "miam-miam" or "niam-niam", remember that these are more than just funny sounds. This is an important part of language that can tell us a lot about how we perceive the world around us.