Crow languages [was: Cows with accents?]

[Wilson Gray]

Reminds me of the time that a professor of Slavic at UC Davis claimed
that his family dog understood Russian. He illustrated this by
exclaiming "V kukhniu!" (Into the kitchen!) and, sure enough, the dog
jumped up and ran into the kitchen.

-Wilson

On 8/23/06, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Crow languages [was: Cows with accents?]
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Some fifty-odd years ago, I think, there was an article in Scientific
> American relating that the cries of American crows were not
> understood by European crows.
>
> Joel
>
> At 8/23/2006 03:10 PM, you wrote:
> >A cross-post of direct relevance to many dialectologists on the
> >list, I'm sure.
> >
> >LH
> >
> >>Date:         Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:17:26 -0400
> >>Sender: The discussion list for Language and the Law
> >><FORENSIC-LINGUISTICS at JISCMAIL.AC.UK>
> >>From: Jane Rosenthal <quidnunc at AOL.COM>
> >>Subject: [FL-LIST] [FL] Cows with accents?
> >>
> >>Okay, this has little to do with FL unless you have a need to
> >>identify a cow.  However, I thought you might be amused by this
> >>story.
> >>
> >>Farmers: Cows mooo with a twang
> >>LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Cows have regional accents, a group of
> >>British farmers claims, and phonetics experts say the idea is not as
> >>far-fetched as it sounds.
> >>Lloyd Green, from southwest England, was one of a group of farmers
> >>who first noticed the phenomenon.
> >>"I spend a lot of time with my Friesians and they definitely 'moo'
> >>with a Somerset drawl," he said, referring to the breed of dairy cow
> >>he owns.  I've spoken to the other farmers in the West Country group
> >>and they have noticed a similar development in their own herds.
> >>"I think it works the same as with dogs - the closer a farmer's bond
> >>is with his animals, the easier it is for them to pick up his
> >>accent."
> >>
> >>For the rest of the story, go to:
> >><http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/08/23/cows.accent.reut/index.html>http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/08/23/cows.accent.reut/index.html
> >>
> >>
> >>Jane Rosenthal
> >>New York University
> >
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>
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