Onomatopoeia about beaches and waves

Answer 1

What would you hear, near beaches and ocean waves? Oceans and shores are one of the most heavily onomatopoeic situations that have been described in literature.

The wash of the ocean against sand and cliffs and shells is often a prime subject in literature and poetry, and many of the natural words we would use to describe it are onomatopoeic in nature. If you could only make one sound, to imitate the sound that a wave makes, washing to shore, what would it be?

It would be the sh sound -- growing to loudness, and then diminishing. After a wave recedes, you might still hear sounds that you would imitate with an s sound. With more violent waves, you might hear the k or hard c sound, or any of the explosive consonants.

You have to use your imagination to determine if the sounds of the words contain the sounds that are being described. Consider the following sentences:

The wave slowly receded from the sand.

[gentle and slow]

The sea crashed against the beach, shivering the shore.

[a bit more forceful]

The water slapped its salt against the cliffs.

[violent]

In the first sentence, there are few explosive consonant sounds. The sounds of the words are smooth, as the action being described is.

In the second, the action is a bit more active, and so are the sounds of the words. Although you have the sh and chsounds, mimicking the sound of water, you also have the k(hard c) sound, and the b sound.

In the third, you have the consonant sounds t, p, and the hard c, but with enough s sounds to still evoke ideas of the ocean.

Proper use of onomatopoeia is an art, and recognition of it is a skill.