Not only a word in its own right, it’s imitative and “reduplicative” – which means that “rat-tat-tat-tash” is considered the same word, just lengthened out for more sound effects.
“rat-tat, n., int., and adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 1 June 2015.
Sound effects in the rock slide after goblin captivity!
06.040 soon larger bits of split stone went clattering down
It was Gollum, funny old creature, suddenly bereft of his ring and deep in distress!
Genius. A giant tom-cat. A dragon. The most dangerous creature in the world. With one word, we see the absolute confidence of the dragon, the completely athletic competence and grace. With the same word, the father takes a tiny bit of the sting of fear out of the tale. Yet we hear the rumble of the furnace.
High or low? Painful or funny? Definitely both. I am haunted by “the winds… moaning in the night.”
I hope you have enjoyed our survey of sound play in the uncommon words! I am charmed to learn that eighty four of the words – more than 8% of our uncommon words! – were sound-play words such as “Hum, whistle, sh”. Many of those words are repeated, of course: they comprise 316, about one-third of 1% of the total words of the book!
The formation of a word from a sound associated with the thing or action being named; the formation of words imitative of sounds.
The use of echoic or suggestive language
I began with the idea that sound-play words would be light and funny, and that I would be able to tag and track them to identify light-hearted passages. Then a leaf rustled and the dragon hummed. This poetic technique quite simply adds sensation to each scene, intensifying the mood. Sometimes Tolkien even uses the onomatopoeic words to create tone – brightening the scariest parts of his children’s bedtime tale.
Alert Word Fans will see that I captured a few more sound-play words after this post – they are included in this post’s total.
“onomatopoeia, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
Thorin hummed the refrain to the dwarves’ Misty Mountains song:
[01.144] Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To find our long-forgotten gold.
I think we have danger and adventure. There’s something biblical and epic-proportioned about “gnash”.
“gnash, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
“† gnast, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
“Frizzle” in meaning one has to do with curling hair in tiny curls. In meaning two, it has to do with cooking with an accompanying sputtering noise. Bilbo’s hair after meeting Smaug? Both!
“frizzle, v.1.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
“frizzle, v.2.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf – or dwarf when lashed by a goblin. It’s a funny farm word, ameliorating the fright of being captured by such alien and altogether scary enemies. Low or high? tough call. Because it is tempering the danger with farm noises, I’m calling it “low”.
“bleat, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 29 May 2015.
words that you were saying 