Written by Miranda González
You would think that dogs would make the same sound in all languages. After all, dogs don’t speak French, or Italian, or Russian. They just speak, well, dog. So if I’m in Belgium and I hear a dog barking, it should sound pretty much the same as a dog barking the U.S., right? Well, the actual sound should be the same, but the way Belgians express that same sound will be different.
“Can you hear that?” I tell my baby son. “It’s a dog! It says, ‘Woof, woof, woof!’” That’s the sound dogs make in English, of course. But if I were a Dutch-speaking Belgian mother, I would tell my son that the dog says, “Blaf, blaf, blaf” and if I were a French-speaking Belgian mother, I would tell my son that the dog says, “Waouh, waouh, waouh.”
Onomato – what – uh?
“Woof” is an example of a word called an onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh). It’s quite tricky to say and spell, but it is simply a word used to imitate a sound. In addition to animal sounds, you can use an onomatopoeia to express a wide range of sounds. Some examples:
- Drip (a drop of water falling)
- Boom (a really loud noise, like an explosion)
- Beep (the shrill noise an alarm or timer makes)
- Tap (to hit something with light force)
Keep in mind that most of these words can be used as verbs, nouns, or interjections. Compare:
Interjection: Knock, knock!
Noun: Was that a knock at the door?
Verb: Is someone knocking?
More animal sounds
When I was learning my second language, it never even occurred to me that I would also have to relearn the sounds that animals make! But it’s still important to know how these sounds are expressed in speaking and writing. So if English is your second (or third, or fourth) language, I think you will find this list pretty useful.
Dog – woof, ruff, or yip (for small dogs with a high bark)
Cat – meow
Bird – tweet, chirp
Cow – moo
Horse – neigh
Pig – oink
Sheep – baa
Duck – quack
Frog – ribbit
Mouse – squeak
Chicken – cluck, peep (only for baby chicks)
Rooster – cock-a-doodle-doo
How do dogs bark in YOUR native language?
Or, if you are feeling really ambitious, feel free to teach us the sounds in your language for ALL of the animals mentioned above. Tell us in the comments!
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