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Sonic imagery

Imagery
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Language that appeals to the sense of hearing through onomatopoeia, rhythm, or sound symbolism

Detailed Definition
Sonic imagery uses descriptive language to evoke sounds—real or imagined—within a poem, engaging the reader’s auditory imagination through onomatopoeia, rhythm, or phonetic texture; unlike visual description, it renders noise as poetic material, as in the “buzz” of bees or the “crash” of waves, making sound a primary vehicle for mood and meaning.
Example
Example in poetry:
Poe’s “The Bells” uses “clang, and clash, and roar” for sonic imagery; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy”: “I think I may well be a Jew… / The engine, / Chuffing me off like a Jew”; Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “God’s Grandeur”: “It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil crushed”; Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” uses syncopated beats to mimic pool hall sounds.
Additional Notes
Sonic imagery evokes sounds through words (e.g., “buzz,” “whisper”) or rhythmic patterning; distinct from auditory figures by focusing on representational rather than structural sound.
Also Known As
Sound imagery auditory metaphor noise symbolism aural description aural imagery Natural sound imagery
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