----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan van Steenbergen" <ijzeren_jan@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: 03 January, 2003 14:26
Subject: Animals' talk (jara: German letter names)
> --- Jake skrzypszy:
>
> > I find it interesting that, in English at least, dogs have comparitively
> > many "charactaristic languagefied sounds." In the case of the dog,
there
> > is arf, woof, bark, and others?
>
> No, in Dutch it's the same: "woef", "waf", "kef". The difference depends
fully
> on the size of the animal; in this case from large to small.
> The word for barking is "blaffen", but no dog would ever say "blaf blaf".
Interesting. I think in English you can say either. The dog says, "bark,"
or the dog barks.
What determines which dog is assigned which sound? I am a native english
speaker, but
they seem to me randomly chosen when spoken. Anyone?
> > What determines the diversity of sounds we put in the mouths of our
animals?
>
> Our feelings towards them, perhaps? The Dutch, in general, are similarly
> sentimental about their pet animals (especially dogs and cats) as the
English.
> As I have understood from certain literature, in the more Southern realms
of
> Europe animals are rather looked upon as either apparatus that have to
perform
> a certain function, or steaks on four legs.
I hate that attitude about animals.
> Jan
Jake