Ideophones: Sound Pictures

Level 4

An ideophone paints how something is: Tena ase dinn (Sit quietly), Ɛyɛ saa pɛpɛɛpɛ (It is exactly so).

How It Works

1. What they sound like
Ideophones often have long vowels or consonants, or repeated parts: dinn, komm, pɛpɛɛpɛ. They often sound like what they describe.

2. Quiet and still: dinn and komm
With yɛ they describe a state: Ɛhɔ yɛ dinn (It is quiet there), Ɔyɛɛ komm (He fell silent). After another verb they describe how it is done: Tena ase dinn (Sit quietly, sit still).

3. Exactly: pɛpɛɛpɛ
Pɛpɛɛpɛ means exactly or evenly: Ɛyɛ saa pɛpɛɛpɛ (It is exactly so), Ɔkyekyɛɛ aduane no pɛpɛɛpɛ (She divided the food exactly evenly). The same word is used in several languages of Ghana.

4. They never change
Tense, negative and person are marked on the verb, never on the ideophone: Ɛhɔ nyɛ dinn (It is not quiet there). The ideophone stays after the verb, even in a command.

5. Where you hear them
Ideophones are frequent in everyday speech, storytelling and songs. They add color, much like paa adds strength. Doubled manner words such as ntɛm ntɛm are a related pattern (see Doubled Words for Manner).

Examples (5)

  1. Tena ase dinn.

    Sit quietly. / Sit still.

    Word by Word: sit down quiet

    Dinn follows the verb and paints the stillness.

  2. Ɛhɔ yɛ dinn.

    It is quiet there.

    Word by Word: there is quiet

    With yɛ, dinn describes a state.

  3. Ɔyɛɛ komm.

    He fell silent.

    The past is shown on the verb yɛ; komm does not change.

  4. Ɛyɛ saa pɛpɛɛpɛ.

    It is exactly so.

    Pɛpɛɛpɛ sharpens saa (so) to exactly so.

  5. Ɔkyekyɛɛ aduane no pɛpɛɛpɛ.

    She divided the food exactly evenly.

    Kyekyɛ is the doubled form of kyɛ (share), and pɛpɛɛpɛ says the shares were exactly equal.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the ideophone before the verb.

    Dinn tena ase.
    Tena ase dinn.

    Ideophones follow the verb or describing word they paint, so dinn goes at the end.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Ideophones: Sound PicturesLevel 4

Learn This First

Ideophones are related to doubled manner words.

Words in This Pattern

dinnkommpɛpɛɛpɛ