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I need a word or simple noun phrase that describes the sound made by a spring when it is suddenly released. Any help? The word will serve as a title for the sound below. The sound is more for social entertainment than technical considerations.

Here is the sound: http://www.permusoft.com/spring.wav

Would it make sense to simply transliterate 'boing'?

This is for an iPhone app. Here is a screenshot of the English version. In the app, if you touch the red button then the sound is played.

enter image description here

QED
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  • As far as I can imagine the sound of suddenly released spring, I can recall nothing but вжик, which is also good for the sound of blade cutting the air, or flying arrow or bullet, or any other sharp high sound. If boing is low sound вжик would not fit as translation. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 18:16
  • То утром, то поздним вечером ... на реке щелкала, вжи́кала пружина стартера, начинал тонко трещать мотор, и на заводь выползала лодка. [Олег Куваев. Правила бегства] – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 18:41
  • Рванул он, молния чиркнула, а из папки – вжик пружина змейкой. [Михаил Дайнека. Пасынки Гиппократа] – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 18:47
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    @DmitryAlexandrov - Make those comments an answer, why not? – Yellow Sky Jul 25 '14 at 18:54
  • @DmitryAlexandrov - You know, in your examples вжик can mean not the sound, but the swiftness of motion, cannot it? I'm afraid, we need the context, the sentence where the OP needs to use that word. – Yellow Sky Jul 25 '14 at 19:02
  • @YellowSky In the second example – it can, it the first it is definitely a sound since щелкать is a sound. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 19:06
  • @YellowSky As for necessity to provide the context – of course the more details the better. But I am very afraid that there will be no answer anyway. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 19:10
  • @YellowSky As for posting as answer... Well, it would not be an answer that satisfies questioner in that particular case – his sound example is quite far from вжик. But you are right – why not. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 19:13
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    Are you joking about sound-playing screenshot or do I misunderstand something? – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 19:56
  • Clarified the screenshot. – QED Jul 25 '14 at 19:58
  • OK. It would be even better if you’d explain what your app is doing on the whole? Is that merely a tool for playing all sorts of sounds? – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 20:02
  • Yes, it just plays random silly sounds. I need to label the sound. – QED Jul 25 '14 at 20:03
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    Well. I’ve just played it fifty times trying to abstract away from what I know about it. And I will tell you that the sound per se is no more a sound of spring than a vibration of a string or anything else. It is most looks like варган – the primitive folk instrument which is common all over Eurasia: from Kirghiz steppes to Far North. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 20:27
  • So... Forget the spring. Simple дынь or дон describes that very sound quite properly. Don’t you have дынь or дон in your app already? – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 20:36
  • The words aren't in the app yet. What are their meanings? – QED Jul 25 '14 at 20:38
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    No meaning. That’s the case. Pure sound imitation. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 20:39
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    And finally: there is nothing wrong to invent your own onomatopoeia. You said that the /bɔɪŋ/ is good approximation of your sound, am I right? Perfect, let it be боннь! – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 21:09
  • @QED Done. If you want to check how other sounds names are understandable, you are welcome. :-) – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 26 '14 at 13:03
  • How the word "boing" sounds? I think if u transliterate it u get "боинг", just the same as how the aircraft manufacturer (and its planes) are called in Russian. I think, it would be understood accordingly. – Anixx Jul 28 '14 at 12:52

5 Answers5

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If I'm not mistaken, I've seen the word БЗДЫНЬ used in reference to a gong, a bell and a spring in cartoons.

Let the natives confirm (I'm American :)

CocoPop
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    Great question by the way! – CocoPop Jul 25 '14 at 18:21
  • Бздынь is more for for hitting something against something else. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 18:27
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    I'm native. I was thinking about the neutral metalic sound дзынь. However, since “boing!” has also sexual connotations (sudden erection), your variant sounds good (all words starting with бзд- are far from being neutral). So I'd say, it all depends upon where the OP wants to use the word, that is, if OP wants to speak about real solid metal springs, I'd recommend дзынь. – Yellow Sky Jul 25 '14 at 18:40
  • @YellowSky Yes, for the example of sound, that have been appended to the question, дзынь may be the best. But it unfortunately does not have any connotation with spring. It is a very broad sound imitation, which is suitable not only for any sort of metal sound but e. g. for glass too, and for electronic bell of course. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 25 '14 at 18:56
  • @DmitryAlexandrov - I see it now, I had written my comment before the sound sample was added. – Yellow Sky Jul 25 '14 at 18:59
  • Sexual connotations are fine... – QED Jul 25 '14 at 19:22
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Since the only thing you need is a label for that exactly record for an app, which merely play it along with other random sounds, rather than attempting to recall some Russian onomatopoeia associated with spring (which, afaik, does not exist), I’ve listened your record fifty times in a row trying to abstract away from what I knew about it from you.

And I will tell you that the sound per se is no more a sound of spring than a vibration of a string or elastic band or anything else. Actually, it is most looks like варган – the primitive folk instrument which is common all over Eurasia: from Kirghiz steppes to the Far North.

So, forget about the spring. Simple дынь or дон, which are pure sound imitation and have no any particular sense, describes that very sound quite properly. No meaning – no any possibility for misunderstanding.

And finally: there is nothing wrong to invent your own onomatopoeia. As far as I understand, you said that the /bɔɪŋ/ is good approximation of that sound. Perfect, let it be боннь.

Dmitry Alexandrov
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  • @Artemix Насколько я понял, это не название приложения, это подпись к одному из многих звуков в интерфейсе этого приложения. – Dmitry Alexandrov Aug 04 '14 at 18:53
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Got some feedback from a linguist at Stanford. She says the spring sound people would identify with is 'дрынь' (dreen') with a rolled r. What you might find in a cartoon, for example.

Ken Snyder
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  • Дрынь is a typical imitation of sound of engine (especially two-stroke, i. e. motorbike). Children ride a toy bike and say дрынь-дрынь. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 26 '14 at 13:08
  • Got another email from Elena from Stanford. She consulted her father who is a professional editor at the UN (Russian-English translation) and he says that these kinds of "words" do not get translated, instead you should go with a direct transliteration, which in this case would be something like бойньк. Anyway, far deeper than I imagined getting into this, given I don't speak Russian was just asked to ask my Russian speaking friends. – Ken Snyder Jul 28 '14 at 05:24
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As far as I can imagine the sound of suddenly released spring, I can recall nothing but вжик, which is also good for the sound of blade cutting the air, or flying arrow or bullet, or any other sharp high sound.

То утром, то поздним вечером ... на реке щелкала, вжи́кала пружина стартера, начинал тонко трещать мотор, и на заводь выползала лодка. [Олег Куваев. Правила бегства]

Рванул он, молния чиркнула, а из папки – вжик пружина змейкой. Выпросталась пружинка, раскачивается, трепещет, как деликатный, европейкого стандарта фаллос... [Михаил Дайнека. Пасынки Гиппократа]

If boing is low sound вжик would not fit as translation.

Community
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Dmitry Alexandrov
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  • The sound from the question (spring.wav) does not sound like вжик for me. The вжик-event should me more faster! – Stack Exchange User Jul 27 '14 at 11:33
  • @lorien That answer is not related to spring.wav (which was added later), only to question of how to render sound of released spring. Of course it doesn’t do for questioner’s purpose, I said it somewhere in discussion in comments. So what? – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 27 '14 at 14:49
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My suggestion, use the word пыщь!. LOL :D It is hard to me to explain in English what does it mean. Anyway, it is a funny choice, think of it :)

Stack Exchange User
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  • That how we can end up labeling every sound in the app with пыщь!. I have not heard all of them of course, but I guess, most of are пыщь! in the same degree. – Dmitry Alexandrov Jul 27 '14 at 14:58
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    Согласно словарю Упячки с Lurkmore: "ПЫЩЬ!!!!111одинодин1 — звуковое сопровождение извержения лучей поноса". Не сильно похоже на звук пружины. – Artemix Aug 04 '14 at 11:39