Onomatopoeia help

Status
Not open for further replies.

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
Hi, everyone, I hope this is the right place for this thread. I'll go straight to the point: what would you call a sound made by a huge bag full of stuff dragged around slowly? Thanks in advance.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Hi everyone, I hope this is the right place for this thread. I'll [STRIKE] go[/STRIKE] get straight to the point. [STRIKE]how[/STRIKE] What would you call the sound made by a huge bag full of stuff dragged around slowly? Thanks in advance.

Honestly, I can't think of one word for that very specific description! Is there a specific word for it in Lithuanian?

I would probably say it makes a "heavy dragging sound".
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
Yes, there is. And I gues the English language has one too. The closest one that I've found is "swoosh". But I'm not sure about it because some dictionaries say "it's the sound produced by a sudden rush of air or liquid" or "it's rustling-like sound". "Rustling" would be ok with leaves I guess.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Yes, there is. And I gues the English language has one too. The closest one that I've found is "swoosh". But I'm not sure about it because some dictionaries say "it's the sound produced by a sudden rush of air or liquid" or "it's rustling-like sound". "Rustling" would be ok with leaves I guess.

Neither "swoosh" nor "rustle" work for me in this situation. I'm still thinking! :-D
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
Ok, let's forget the bag for a second. :) How about the sound for anything heavy dragged around? (if it makes any difference)
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
The sound is produced from the item scraping along the surface, so maybe scraping, but really, I'm with ems... the sound of something heavy being dragged is probably how I'd say it!
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
No, "scrapping" doesn't fit. All righty, what do you call the sound you get when rubbing clothes, say with a hand?
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
You're asking fascinating questions. I don't know words for these sounds. I hope someone with more imagination comes along with good answers.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
What's in the bag?
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
What's in the bag?

How's this relevant to the sound? Random objects making the bag too heavy to lift and carry.
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
Sorry, I get it. It's not the items that make the sound. Actually, I'm pretty sure you could have two sounds: one would be the dragging sound of the full bag and the other of the items themselves (e.g. if the bag was full of glass bottles).
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Too bad... the bottles would CLANK and pots and pans would RATTLE, but I'm still stuck on the dragging sound.
 

Tullia

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I think there's too many variables really. The contents of the bag, the material of the bag, the surface it is being dragged along... the combination of those factors could lead to a whole range of sounds.

I mean, a single heavy object in a velvet bag on a smooth surface will make a very different noise to lots of empty copper kettles in a rough hessian bag being pulled along a bumpy road!
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
What is the sound of a dozen or so native speakers scratching their collective heads and not knowing the answer??
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
What is the sound of a dozen or so native speakers scratching their collective heads and not knowing the answer??

:-D I don't know, but I have a collective term: a bafflement of teachers!
 

chester_100

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
Iran
How's this (the objects inside the bag) be relevant to the sound? Random objects making the bag too heavy to lift and carry.
Tdol is right.

It would certainly make a difference. If you had some light metal objects like keys, the sound would be something like 'jangling'.
Heavier objects might ''scratch'' which means to make a harsh scraping sound.

English might not have lexicalized this sound.
 

Pedroski

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
China
Onomatopoeia, right?: the answer is easy:

Kkkrrrrrrrr!
 

Anewguest

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Lithuanian
Home Country
Lithuania
Current Location
Lithuania
:lol: Pedroski :up:


Thanks for your effort, I guess I'll stick with "made a dragging sound".
 

Tullia

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
What is the sound of a dozen or so native speakers scratching their collective heads and not knowing the answer??

Judging by the number of posts in this thread, it's certainly not the sound of silence!
 

birdeen's call

VIP Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top