Friday, November 26, 2010

A Guide to Author Jargon for the Reader - 73

onomatopoeia

the assignment of sound to replace description, sometimes to add a sound track to writing, sometimes humor. It sometimes adds tension, especially when timepieces are involved (tick tock). It's most effective when places, where it carries a wealth of already seeded attributes. For example (and I'll use one of my own), Clang Clang represents a San Francisco Cable car. It's imbued with an entire Cable Car ride in conjunction with the conductor yelling street names, so when, a thousand of pages later, a chapter opens - Lombard Street. Clang Clang, the reader is immediately transported to the original setting without the need to repeat the setting. This is similar to the Chinese language form called carrier words, those that visually have attributes that add sound and meaning otherwise lost when not expressed.

Edward C. Patterson

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