Grating Ratings: Animal Sounds
Ever since we were small children, we have learned the sounds that animals make. We are even taught at a young age how to "properly" spell these sounds. But how accurate are they?
- Baa: B- Sheep do seem to make a "baa" sound of sorts, though I'm not sure I can hear a "b" at the beginning. I'd be happier with it if there was an obligatory hyphen to show that they are making that repeated guttural pause.
- Bow-Wow: F This may be one of the worst animal sounds. The closest a dog comes to making this sound is when it's yapping repeatedly, and even then it rarely just says two syllables. I've heard more dogs say "I ruv you, Reorge" than I have heard saying "bow-wow".
- Caw: A Crows say it, no doubt about it. So does my friend Joel D — seemingly nonstop.
- Croak: D- No, no, no. Frogs don't croak at all. "Ribbit" works well for some frog sounds, but not "croak." Whoever it was who first thought they heard this particular sound was probably licking the frog a couple minutes beforehand.
- Hoot: C I've heard an owl say "who" before, but never with a "t" on the end. Hilarious comedian Brian Regan has a spiel on how the owl doesn't go "hoot".
- Meow: A- I can hear "meow" coming from a cat. It's definitely two syllables and definitely has "e-ow" in it. I'm not so sure about the "m" at the beginning, but we'll roll with it.
- Moo: D- I think "moo" is one of the most popular animal sounds, but it's not one of the best. Go listen to a cow. The sound they make is not "moo". It's the same sound I make when my wife tries to wake me up in the middle of the night. I can tell you one thing — it's definitely not "moo".
- Oink: F As far as I can remember, I've never heard a pig make the "n" sound, so how can they say "oink"? They also don't make the "oi" sound, unless perhaps you've got an Australian pig. A pig's snorting sound definitely needs a new name.
- Quack: D+ When you say "quack", you're not making a duck sound, but part of your word is. That "wa" sound in the middle is spot on. The rest is just filler to make you say that sound.
Please feel free to leave a comment. What do you agree or disagree with, and why? Which examples of animal sounds onomatopoeia do you wish were included that I didn't cover here?
NB: Not only do I love onomatopoeia, I even know how to spell it.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, July 28th, 2007 at 14:00 by Novac and is filed under All, Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, Charity, Education, Fun, Language, Ratings.
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