Once again, an echo from a scene of high adventure.
- 09.026 and then a loud clink and clank,
onomatopoeia
Clink
These are adventurous, high sounds, both taking place when Bilbo is in great danger – in the Riddle Game and in the dungeons of the Elvenking of Mirkwood.
- 05.046 in mail never clinking.
- 09.026 and then a loud clink and clank,
Clang
Clearly this is a word that could be low and clumsy – in these two cases, the sound is ominous. “High” and adventurous tag.
- 09.004 closed behind them with a clang.
- 12.100 and a clang.
Chuckle
In Chapter 4, goblins chuckle who have taken Thorin & Company prisoner. In Chapter 12, it is Smaug who chuckles at Bilbo’s riddling titles for himself. The rest of the time, we have beneficent chuckles. I think we must tag this one both “low” (as in comfortable, homey chuckling) and “high” (as in dangerous, adventurous). OED tells us it’s an echoic word; other words are called imitative and still others are onomatopoetic. For now I am calling them all onomatopoeia, and perhaps my understanding will grow; I will share the difference with you as soon as I know it, Word Fans!
- 04.017 and chuckled
- 06.015 that he just chuckled inside
- 07.069 and burst into a chuckling laugh:
- 07.121 he chuckled.
- 07.123 he chuckled fiercely to himself.
- 08.126 and chuckling to himself.
- 12.058 and he chuckled
“chuckle, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 22 May 2015.
Chat & Chatter
It turns out that “chat” is the “onomatopoeic abbreviation of chatter”, and “chatter” is itself onomatopoeic. I find this connection between Gollum and the Master of Laketown eerily satisfying.
- 05.022 and chats with it a bitsy,
- 14.030 but the Master ground his chattering teeth.
“chat, v.1.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 22 May 2015.
Buzz
We only hear buzzing on the approach to Beorn’s home.
- 07.025 There was a buzzing
Bump
Another word which sounds just like what it means. Almost half of these bumps are from Chapter 9.
- 03.012 or bumped his nose on the pony’s neck.
- 04.045 said poor Mr. Baggins bumping up
- 04.051 bumped his head on hard rock,
- 05.008 not when their heads have recovered from being bumped.
- 05.144 and avoid being bumped into,
- 05.145 who could not make out what he had bumped into,
- 07.108 and had rolled down with a bump from the platform on to the floor.
- 08.059 bumping crash into trees,
- 09.011 or for fear of being bumped into
- 09.029 one of them bumped into another,
- 09.038 and the bumping they would get inside,
- 09.049 Down they go, down they bump!
- 09.050 and a bump,
- 09.056 and bumping mass of casks
- 09.061 though a few went on to bump against the stony pier.
- 13.015 when Bilbo fell forward down the step with a bump into the hall,
Bubble
Bubble is another imitative word, and it’s used to describe the water in a barrel-floating scene and a mysterious sound when Bilbo is approaching Smaug. Now the barrel scenes are funny and Smaug is pretty high and dangerous but in this particular paragraph, Smaug’s rumblings are likened to the purring of a giant tomcat. Definitely part of a funny, tension-breaking image, and we’ll tag this word as “low”.
- 10.001 and bubbling.
- 12.011 a sort of bubbling
“bubble, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 22 May 2015.
Twang
Here’s a sound that we only hear in dangerous situations, although the word would serve for funny accents and broken instrument strings as well.
- 14.013 At the twanging of the bows
- 14.023 The great bow twanged.
- 17.039 Bows twanged
Trill
Here’s a sound word that heralds great things: the trill of the ancient thrush before he taps thrice to reveal the secret door!
- 11.032 gave a sudden trill.
words that you were saying 