Dictionary of cat language

Published on 16 Mar. 2008 from alex

Katze Miau The Japanese toy company Takara Co. Ltd. has recently announced that they have a toy on the market is that the volume of comments cats in the human language ^"translated" 1. Meowlingual, as the name of the gadget, the successor kätzische of Bowlingual , The translation help for the dog. The successful expresses Bowlingual consists of a microphone that most of the dog collar is attached, and a partial translation with LCD display that can hold in your hand. Bowlingual amazingly accurate recognizes six different emotions According basis of statements of the animal and they are usually in the form of humorous human rates again. Takara Co. ltd stressed that it was a toy and not a really serious Übersetztsungsappart intentioned acts. Nevertheless, this reflects part of an ancient yearning of the people back: the language of animals to understand and communicate directly with you to be.

Kätzisch - a language?

The debate about whether animals can speak or whether the communications of animals as a language can be described, it is still so strongly as ever managed - and an end to the discussion is not in sight. Therefore, at this point it is not a matter of principle to clarify whether the cats According to statements by the characteristics of a language meet or not. Not to deny, however, is that the sounds of our house cats certain reactions in our cause (for example, the cat let out or fed them) and that cats alone through classical conditioning can learn certain sounds, in order to achieve something. You should also little doubt that the cats because of the anatomy of the pharynx, larynx and tongue no verbal communication in the form of words are capable of. Even if some generates sounds great similarity to human identity Lutes, they are completely different generated. Unlike the people use their cats, for example, hardly tongue tip, to loud to create forms and through different Tonvariationen more tension in the neck by a change in the jaw position and mouth movements ^2. Nevertheless, most cat owners say that they told me their cats "talk" - and not only through body language, but by the lute.

A dictionary for Kätzisch

In a groundbreaking article has already Mildred Moelker 1944 the Vokalisation the domestic cat, described ^2. This distinguishes it initially three main groups of sounds (phonetic spelling to see Wikipedia "International Phonetic Alphabet" and "List of IPA symbol" According with examples).

Mumbling, with a closed mouth is created: [mhrn] or [ 'mhrn]
Vocal patterns that are generated, while the mouth opened and then gradually closed, which is in a solid vocal patterns resulted: [ɑ: ou], [mɑ: ou], [wɑ: ou] or [ 'mi-ɑ: ou ]
tight pattern, with open mouth produced.

These three main groups are as follows:

Murmur

Purr [ 'HRN-rhn-'hrn-rhn], consisting of separately imperceptible vibrations
Flattering claim or greeting [ 'mhrn], partly with several gurrenden "roles" [' mhr'hr'hr ... 'HRN]
Reputation [ ^'ə mrhn] with emphasis on the Anfangstons sounds full of marbles than flattering, is the cat used to something or someone to call.
Thanks or confirmation [ 'mrhŋ], marbles short of fast-falling intonation, is used when the cat gets something, what they wanted, or sees that they will get it.

Vocal patterns

Call [ 'mrhn-ɑ': ou], with variable elements of schmeichenldem marbles [ 'mrhn] to vokalisiertem [' mrhn-ə]. zu [æ] , in besonderen Situation als Flüstern ['mrhn-ɛ̃ !] oder nasales [ɛ̃ ] , wenn die Katze weiß, dass die ruhig sein sollte, den Impuls der Äußerung aber nicht unterdrücken kann. With the increasing volume and intensity will be shortened by mumbling [ 'mhrn], [' mhr], [ 'mhj] to [' mi] and the increasingly vocal of [ɑ] to [æ] in a specific situation whisper [ 'mrhn -ɛ!] or nasal [ɛ] if the cat knows that the calm should be, the impulse of expression but can not suppress.
Bettelnde call [ 'mhrn-ɑ: ou] if a goal is pursued
Confusion [ 'mɑou:?]
Complaint [ 'mrhŋ-ɑ: ou]
Weak Paarungsruf [ 'mrhn-ɑ _1: ou]
Wutheulen [wɑ: ou:]

Tense pattern

Snarl [grrr ...] and Wutheulen [wɑ: ou:].
Shriek [ 'æ: o] during a fight
Paarungsruf [ 'dia dia': ə]
Pain [æ], [ɛ!] Or [i] to nasal ^[z æ æ]
käckernde refusal [ 'æ ^z' æ ^z ^'æ], is used when the cat is forced moderation of something retires.
Hiss and spit [fft!], Sudden confrontation with an (alleged) enemy

The expression of sounds to the people is done mostly to a goal to reach and is supported by the scale following eight factors:

universal value of goal (How attractive is the goal in principle? eg How delicious is a given feed?)
situational value of the target (How strong is the desire of the cat at the moment? eg How great is the hunger?)
mere habit, even without a real need (eg According expression when the cat hears a can opener, even if it has no hunger)
Aware that the intervention of a human being is required (for example, when you open a door)
Degree of success
Rapidity with a success can be achieved
Mood, physical and emotional condition
Success or failure of efforts

Even without a dictionary ...

That we humans even without any translation help understand very well what our cats want, shows a study from Cornell University in the ^USA 3. 100 According to statements made by twelve cats were initially 26 volunteers presents, which should indicate how pleasant or unpleasant each. Subsequently 28 other volunteers should assess how urgent and demanding the sounds sounded. It showed that the subjects of pleasant remarks reacted faster than unpleasant. Those rated as pleasant, less demanding shorter Miaus were started mostly high and then fell and high and low frequencies were presented with the same energy (such as MII-au). Urgent, unpleasant Miaus contrast, showed more energy in the field at low frequencies (such as mii-AU-UUU). In 27% of cases the subjects were able to correctly identify what the cat sounds mean, what significantly higher than the random hit rate of 20%.