The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists AUTUMN 2026 The Linguist 23 FEATURES Siringa (ii; lit. 'the sound and feeling of tingling vibration') symbolically means fear, excitement or nervousness, depending on how it is used. It can be translated into English as 'a chill ran through' or 'having goosebumps', but this misses the visceral impact of the sound-link. Dhuk dhuk (u u; 'sound of a heart pounding') could be 'heart racing out of fear, anticipation or excitement'. An interpreter needs to navigate the intended meaning and varying emotions to find an appropriate rendering instantly, or find the closest English equivalent, i.e. 'thump-thump'. Futta (u ), used to describe a quick flick, can be translated as 'swift', 'nimble', 'quick on one's feet'. It can be used in conjunction with action verbs, such as 'jump', 'slip' and 'run', but it can also symbolically mean 'alertness', 'agility' and 'cleverness'. It can have multiple meanings depending on how it is used: futta chipliyo (u iio; 'slipped off instantly'), futta ufriyo (u uio; 'leapt up quickly'), futta paltiyo (u io; 'flipped right over'). Similarly, in the phrase jyappa samtyo ( o; 'suddenly getting hold of/grabbing something', 'sudden', 'quick', 'tight grab'), jyappa conveys 'suddenness, impact and abrupt action'. The word is also adaptable, as its meaning changes depending on the verb it is used with. For example, jyappa angalo halyo ( a o o) means 'hug suddenly and tightly'. This may pose a challenge when converting it to English. Reduplicative structures Reduplicative structures (i.e. the repetition of a word) are widely used in Nepali to express intensity and emphasis. This plays a significant role in expressive morphology and contributes to the vividness and dynamism of everyday speech. In the phrase Malai usle dyam ki dyam hirkayo ( ue i io; 'he hit me hard repeatedly'), dyam ki dyam is a sound- imitating phrase for repeated, forceful blows, and is RICH SOUNDSCAPE A Gurung woman in a village in Gandaki wears traditional jewellery that may jingle-jangle (-, top left); a Nepali boy splish-splashes (- ) in puddles (top right); and (below) a quick leap (u uio) in the Himalayas Onomatopoeic words - (cham cham) - (chhap chhap) - (dhyang dhyang) uttered with stress to replicate the sound of hitting someone hard. Likewise, the onomatopoeia dwang dwang ( ) appears in the phrase tyo manchebata raksiko gandha dwang dwang ayeko thiyo (o e o eo io; 'that person reeked of alcohol'). Used as an adverb here, it expresses the overwhelming/ strong smell of the alcohol, the repetition giving the impression that the smell is spread around. However, dwang dwang can also be used like dyam ki dyam to indicate hitting. Onomatopoeia in Nepali works as an adverbial intensifier, encodes emotion and evaluation, and requires recasting into verbs/adjectives in English. The grammatical formation of an expression may need to be changed so the meaning and intended intensity feel natural in the target language. Interpreting may become difficult due to the unavailability of an exact expression or when an explanation is inserted to encapsulate the entire meaning a single onomatopoeia carries. Notes 1 Nepali words are presented here in Unicode to ensure compatibility. 2 Van Driem, G (2021) 'Nepali Expressive Morphology'. In Williams, JP, Expressive Morphology in the Languages of South Asia, Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 58-131 Nepali expressives Sound meaning Sound of jewellery while walking Splashing of water/mud Sound of human action/ object/loud banging English Jingle/tinkle Splash Bang IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK

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