It is worth going into some lively place - and immediately a person is surrounded by many obscure sounds: talking merchants, music from the nearest cafe, cries of disturbed birds. For such noise there is a definition of its own - it is a homon. A noticeable word is often found in more complex concepts, but what does it mean? To understand the term will help immersion in the history of its occurrence, an attempt to understand related expressions from other languages.
From Eastern Europe or from Iceland?
Linguist Fasmer did a fair amount of work and produced two complementary versions of the origin of the word. The first points to countries in Eastern Europe where you can hear:
The literal translation of “quarrel, noise” binds them together, which implies the disorder of the sounds made, their inconsistency. And also involves the transition to elevated tones in order to assert their rightness over others. The second option led the researcher into the languages of the German group. You can discover the meaning of "homon" through the Old Icelandic gaman:
In this case, the English game or “game” will be related. In both of these cases, the speaker means some kind of noisy crowd.
How is the term interpreted?
Today in Russia the concept is devoid of positive or negative coloring. It only states a certain sound filling of space:
- the noise of many voices;
- a dull voice;
- gum.
Depending on the dictionary, you may notice some discrepancy in interpretation. Some authors emphasize the inability to parse statements or highlight a specific voice. The second ones indicate excessive volume, while for the third, the key criterion is discordance, lack of synchronism.
In practice, it turns out that the hubbub is when dozens of individuals speak at once. They may try to shout at each other, as if at a party meeting, or break up into small groups of interests, as happens in any school during a break. Someone perceives a similar background calmly, others are forced by any means to stop talking in order to start classes or start work.
When used by contemporaries?
The word is not outdated, but more often acts as a pair to the epithet “bird”, making up a colorful artistic description of wildlife. Much more often they hear the verb “calm down”, which means any attempt to calm the crowd, to calm too cheerful or heated by the dispute of the gentlemen. Add it to the vocabulary will be useful, because in the XXI century often have to speak to a large audience. And you can get attention only when the hubbub subsides!