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Yawning (and other onomatopoeia)

by Vespero_, August 24, 2011

Messages: 31

Language: English

Vespero_ (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 5:09:29 AM

As part of my continuing project, I have need for a variety of sound effects. Most of these I can look up, but some have eluded me. My current quarry is a reasonable estimate of what a yawn sounds like in an Esperanto mindset.

I've found verbs and nouns, but they don't match the sound. Is there any word that would be recognisable as a yawn in a sentence?

Thanks for any help,
Vespero.

sudanglo (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 9:25:55 AM

What woud be the appropriate sound word in English?

Seems to me we would just use the word yawn in brackets - thus 'Yes, (yawn), very interesting'.

darkweasel (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 11:02:59 AM

sudanglo:What woud be the appropriate sound word in English?

Seems to me we would just use the word yawn in brackets - thus 'Yes, (yawn), very interesting'.
in german you just leave out the verb ending of the verb that means "to yawn" (gähnen -> gähn).

unfortunately in eo "osced" does not work. first because the stress is unclear (osCED or OSced) and second because it is not as onomatopoetic as english-language "yawn" and german-language "gähn".

perhaps you could just put "oscedas" into brackets.

ceigered (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 2:10:27 PM

How about "ŭoooooooooo~n"?

BTW, do German speakers yawn with an "eh" sound, since you guys have "gähn" while we have "yawn"? A strange question, but hey, if there is a difference I've learnt something rido.gif

darkweasel (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 5:04:58 PM

ceigered:
BTW, do German speakers yawn with an "eh" sound, since you guys have "gähn" while we have "yawn"? A strange question, but hey, if there is a difference I've learnt something rido.gif
I don’t think there really is a difference. rido.gif The sound of yawning is, in my opinion, neither the sound in gähnen nor the one in yawn.

erinja (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 5:14:31 PM

I never thought of yawning as being onomatopoeic. To me, the sound of a yawn is more or less "ahhhh-hhaaaaaa", the sound of air being breathed in and out.

darkweasel (User's profile) August 24, 2011, 5:17:51 PM

erinja:I never thought of yawning as being onomatopoeic. To me, the sound of a yawn is more or less "ahhhh-hhaaaaaa", the sound of air being breathed in and out.
Of course it is, but I do think that the long vowel in that word has some onomatopoetic etymology. However I’m not a linguist.

Vespero_ (User's profile) August 25, 2011, 2:45:26 AM

sudanglo:What woud be the appropriate sound word in English?

Seems to me we would just use the word yawn in brackets - thus 'Yes, (yawn), very interesting'.
Well, the specific sentance I'm translating is preceded by the word "Yawn" in a way that is meant to convey that that is what the character is doing.

ceigered (User's profile) August 25, 2011, 10:27:06 AM

For me, "yawn" is very onomatopoeic, it just needs a weird "h/y" sound made in the back of the throat instead of a "y" okulumo.gif

3rdblade (User's profile) August 25, 2011, 11:27:57 AM

I just checked 'gape' (faŭki) and the lernu dictionary also has it as 'yawn'. Aside from the 'k', 'faŭko' is a bit more onomatopoeic-looking than 'oscedo' (i.e. I can yawn it a bit more easily) How does this read to you?

"(faŭko) Nu, mi lacas. Mi devas iri..."
"(yawn) Well, I'm tired. I must be going..."

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