Bilbo’s stammer in Chapter 18 points out the distance between his station and Thranduil’s.
- 18.046 said Bilbo stammering
Author: lfsaldenbirch
Squeal
A squeal is another sound made by prey animals and vulnerable persona when in danger. Definitely “low”.
- 05.056 Give me time!’ But all that came out with a sudden squeal was:
Squeak
Things which squeak are obviously either funny or contemptible. Another “low” tag for an onomatopoeia word.
- 01.063 while the hobbit ran after them almost squeaking with fright:
- 01.110 squeaked Bilbo
- 02.050 oo are you?” it squeaked,
- 05.087 How it squeaked!
- 05.111 when we twisted that nassty young squeaker.
- 12.073 in a frightened squeak,
- 13.010 he squeaked aloud.
- 13.023 He squeaked
- 13.028 or he would not go on squeaking.’
- 16.033 squeaked Bilbo.
- 17.013 squeaked Bilbo,
Splutter
The Chapter 16 instance of “splutter” occurs when Bilbo stumbles and falls into a stream on his super-silent mission to reach Bard without the dwarves’ knowledge. Definitely a funny bit of slapstick. Johnson (of “Boswell’s Life of___” fame) called this a low word, and I’ll happily take that evidence.
- 05.041 and spluttered.
- 05.073 and spluttered
- 08.109 so now they all began to splutter
- 08.123 and spluttered
- 09.055 He came up again spluttering
- 16.017 shivering and spluttering,
“splutter, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 20 May 2015.
Hiss
Gollum hisses – definitely low. Spiders hiss – definitely low. Dwarves hiss in a stumbling about scene, also tagged “low”. In Chapter 14, however, the hisses are of dragon-fired arrows and bits of building falling into the lake. Same word, much more weighty feeling. I shall have to find a way to tag those two instances as “high”.
- 05.014 and hissed:
- 05.016 when the hiss came
- 05.022 Sssss’ said Gollum,
- 05.025 So Gollum hissed:
- 05.032 he hissed.
- 05.036 Ss, ss, ss,’ said Gollum.
- 05.036 Ss, ss, ss,’ said Gollum.
- 05.036 Ss, ss, ss,’ said Gollum.
- 05.036 Sss, sss, my preciouss,
- 05.036 Sss, sss, my preciouss,
- 05.041 He hissed to himself,
- 05.043 my preciouss – ss – ss.’
- 05.043 my preciouss – ss – ss.’
- 05.045 teaching his grandmother to suck – ‘Eggses!’ he hissed.
- 05.048 After a while Gollum began to hiss
- 05.064 not fair!’ he hissed.
- 05.066 S-s-s-s-s,’ hissed Gollum.
- 05.066 S-s-s-s-s,’ hissed Gollum.
- 05.070 S-s-s-s-s,’ said Gollum
- 05.073 He hissed
- 05.082 hissed Gollum.
- 05.097 Then suddenly out of the gloom came a sharp hiss.
- 05.101 The sound came hissing louder
- 05.105 he heard the hiss loud behind him,
- 05.106 The hiss was close behind him.
- 05.109 curse it!’ hissed Gollum.
- 05.117 Ssss, sss, gollum!
- 05.117 Ssss, sss, gollum!
- 05.120 hissing
- 05.124 Ssss!’
- 05.127 He hissed softly but menacingly.
- 05.130 There was a hissing
- 07.101 The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,
- 08.081 and hissing,
- 08.085 hissed a fourth;
- 08.091 hissed the angry spider climbing back onto the branch.
- 08.109 and hiss:
- 08.123 and hissed out horrible curses;
- 13.016 Sh! sh!’ they hissed,
- 14.013 and hissing into the lake.
- 14.024 There was a hiss,
What do we think? Is “sss” a different word from “hiss”? Probably. We will have to revisit this word.
Sh
In this scene, dwarves and Bilbo bumble about in the dark and the dwarves are hushing Bilbo – the most quiet-footed of the company – when he stumbles. It’s a funny, low moment.
- 13.016 Sh! sh!’ they hissed,
Puff
The sound of effortful heavy breathing. Bilbo with his short little legs puffs along the passage – and even the draught of air in Chapter 13 which could have blown out his light only threatened to puff it out. Definitely funny and low.
- 01.038 he thought as he puffed along the passage.
- 01.095 and puffing on the mat,
- 02.020 Very puffed he was,
- 07.087 gasped Bombur puffing up behind.
- 08.055 gasped Bombur puffing up behind.
- 08.125 puffing and panting
- 12.027 puffing and blowing while the ropes creaked
- 13.008 and they made a deal of puffing
- 13.023 but it almost puffed out his light.
Poof
In the middle of the Great Goblin’s great chamber, poof! Gandalf works some of his pyrotechnic magic to effect a rescue. I’m certain that this moment of special sound effects was designed to break tension by causing at least one young listener to shriek with audience-fear and delight at being startled. It relieves the scene of danger with a moment of fun.
- 04.035 and the great fire went off poof!
Ow
Bilbo complains after a high-flavoured journey through amazing treasures and tunnels – and the OED calls this an imitative word. We include it in our list of onomatopoeic words and give it a “low” tag.
- 13.050 But, ow! this wind is cold!’
“ow, int.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 20 May 2015.
Baa
Let’s test another question: are all onomatopoeic words funny, and therefore low? At the top of the alphabet, we have the sound sheep make. They are Beorn’s sheep, altogether remarkable, and a big piece of fairy tale in the middle of a small epic. Definitely part of a funny scene, and we score it “low”.
[07.093] Then baa – baa – baa! was heard, and in came some snow-white sheep led by a large coal-black ram. One bore a white cloth embroidered at the edges with figures of animals; others bore on their broad backs trays with bowls and platters and knives and wooden spoons, which the dogs took and quickly laid on the trestle-tables.
- 07.093 Then baa – baa – baa!
words that you were saying 