Animals That Have Accents
We can all agree that some humans are normal-sounding and some are from Boston, but all animals sound alike to us. Well, that’s speciesist. All kinds of animals have regional variations in how they “talk” to each other — and to us. Such as…
Birds
Just like Star Wars characters and professional wrestlers, every species of bird has its own distinct song, but even birds of the same species can sound different depending on where they’re from. For example, birds from the city have higher-pitched songs than country birds because they echo off buildings less and can be heard better in noisy locations. Even birds within the same city can sound different. For example, “a sparrow singing in Golden Gate Park sounded distinct from a male singing just a few miles away near the Golden Gate Bridge.” That’s how you know which are the cool ones.
Dogs
Not only do dogs have accents, they have the same ones we do. “For example,” the BBC reported, “dogs in Liverpool communicate in a higher pitch than other dogs, and Scottish dogs tend to have a lighter tone to their bark,” with a “stronger pitch and tone.” According to dog behaviorist Tracey Gudgeon, “It’s one of the ways they bond with their owner.” It’s also probably the closest we’ll get to a real-life Shrek.
Whales
Specifically, sperm whales. They communicate through a series of clicks called codas, and whales from the Caribbean and the Pacific, for instance, have different patterns of clicks. One even essentially translates to, “I am from the Caribbean, are you?” Yep, whales can have Jamaican accents. We’d call that racist if we weren’t pretty sure whales can’t be racist.
Cats
Sorry, cat people, but their meows are pretty much all the same. If we consider nonverbal signals to be a type of language, though — and when it comes to cats, it’s arguably more important — cats that have a genetic mutation that causes curly tails can be said to have something of an accent. One sign of contentment is holding their tail straight up, so if a cat can’t do that, their “accent” can make it hard to tell if they’re friendly. You know, like the French. Speaking of whom…
Babies
Okay, so you probably don’t think of a baby as this kind of animal, but they are one, in fact, and you definitely didn’t think they had accents. According to a 2009 study, however, the way babies cry mimics their native language. For example, a French baby cries with a rising pattern (“wah-AH, wah-AH”), while a German baby cries with a falling pattern (“WAH-ah, WAH-ah”). This can be useful if you’re ever stuck with a baby of indeterminate origin. If it’s a French baby, just give it a cigarette and a pastry; Germans babies need techno and stoicism; and American babies will be mad if you give them anything they didn’t earn. Best to leave those ones alone.
