There is a piece of French prose that I have added to my blog about the sounds animals make when they communicate, and it is a lovely piece. It has a lot of those forgotten words that have disappeared from the French language or if not disappeared, at least forgotten because not used anymore…I would love to be able to translate this prose for you but words are missing.

In the French language we use a very specific word/verb to describe the sound an animal makes, and almost each( if not all) animal is given its own word/verb.

Those verbs don’t seem to have an equivalent word /verb in English.

In English as opposed to the French we sometimes use the same word/verb to describe the sound animals make to communicate. Please send in the words you know to be true for me to complete the list below, add to it and fill in the missing verbs at the bottom of this list.

Alternatively I could ask Stephen Fry. He would know, wouldn’t he, Ha! Ha!

 

Geckos, ravens, frogs and toads croak

Walruses groan

Larks, warblers and wrens chirrup, chirp, sing or warble

Sparrows twitter

Dogs and seals, bark

Monkeys, peacocks and vultures scream

Eagles screech

Guinea pigs, hamsters,mice and rats,rabbits and hares, chinchillas and tapirs squeak

Song birds and whales sing

Turkeys gobble

Tarantulas, snakes, swans, geese, owls and cats hiss

Cats also mew, meow and purr

Owls also hoot

Swans also cry( isn’t it beautiful?)

Sheep, goat and lambs, doe and fawn as well as  giraffes  bleat

Rooks and crows caw

Crows also cah

Rhinoceroses bellow

Badgers, bears, hippopotamuses, tigers, lions jaguars and leopards growl

tigers, lions jaguars and leopards also roar, snarl, purr(?)

Bees buzz

Bitterns (small herons) boom

Chickens cluck

Cicadas, crickets, Hermit crab and grass hoppers chirp

Cattle/cows moo

Curlews(wading birds) pipe

Deer, buck and okapis bellow

Okapis also cough

Dogs and wolves bark,howl and bay

Dolphins click

Ducks quack

Elephants trumpet

The male elks bugle– the elk calves bleat. And the female elk?

Ferrets dook

Raccoons trill

Pigeons coo

Pigs and hogs grunt, oink, snort and squeal

Parrots squawk and talk

Oxen and cows moo

Mosquitoes whine

Magpies chatter

Linnets chuckle

Horses neigh, whinny and nicker

Antelopes snort

Bats screech

Sparrows……

Swallows…..

pheasants…..

Chaffinch…..

Frogs…..

Turtle doves…..

Partridges…..

Storks…..

Larks…..

Wild boars….

Camels…..

Hoopoes…..

Jays…..