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Off topic: What language do you speak to your dog?
Thread poster: Ivars Barzdevics
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 20:04
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER
No pet-keeper but... Jan 24, 2015

I have noticed a curious thing in India, which perhaps is also true of other colonial countries.

People here who keep dogs, often give them British names, and talk to them in English. Even people who are traditional and have no understanding of English adopt this practice.

I have thought a lot about this. To me it seems that it is one way of getting at the abhorred colonizers - give the despicable animal (dogs are generally considered unclean animals in India) the names
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I have noticed a curious thing in India, which perhaps is also true of other colonial countries.

People here who keep dogs, often give them British names, and talk to them in English. Even people who are traditional and have no understanding of English adopt this practice.

I have thought a lot about this. To me it seems that it is one way of getting at the abhorred colonizers - give the despicable animal (dogs are generally considered unclean animals in India) the names of celebrated Britishers and in this way indirectly insult the lofty imperialists without putting at risk your own limbs - a very safe strategy.

I can provide corroborating evidence of this from a short novel, Billesar Bakariha, written by the Hindi litterateur Nirala, in which the protagonist Billesar, a poor but gritty and progressive Brahmin is forced by poverty to adopt the lowly profession of a goat-herd. When he is mocked by more affluent Brahmin co-villagers for this, he gets even with them by naming his goats after these very Brahmins!

I have read that in Pakistan, a country with similar traditions, a popular method for vilifying political opponents is to paint their names on the backs of donkeys and parade these unfortunate animals on the streets. The practice is also prevalent in India.

It also seems to me that Indians think it would be disrespectful to their own languages and culture to name dogs with words from their languages, as the practice of keeping dogs does not have the sanction of Indian culture or religions.

A more charitable theory, is that dog-keeping is a practice that Indians have acquired by emulating the British. Since this practice is so un-Indian, Indians feel awkward using their own languages when addressing or naming their dogs, and use instead the neutral English language, even when they may not themselves know English very well. They probably think that the dogs (usually of exotic breeds), belonging as they are to an alien culture, can follow only that alien language and not the languages of India. At the same time, other domestic animals like the cow, goat, donkey, camel, elephant, etc., are invariably addressed in the local languages.

Some years ago, I had taken an Indian forest-department elephant to travel deep into the Kanha forests for the purpose of tiger-sighting. The mahout, all the while continued a torrent of cajoling and abusive conversation with our mount in chaste rural Hindi, including, when the animal did not respond adequately to his commands, cursing several previous generations of the animal and threatening sexual assault on the sisters and mother of the animal! It was a hilarious experience which also indicated the deep personal bond that existed between the mahout and the elephant, who probably have been life-long companions of each other.

Talking to dogs in English could also be viewed as an indication of the awe and infatuation that Indians have for the English language, again a rub-off from their erstwhile colonial masters. I can recall a funny story regarding this. There was once an Indian Maharaja who when asked after his maiden visit to England what he found most admirable in that country, replied, "I was astonished to see even small children there speaking good English!"

Only those who are familiar with the great struggle that it is in India to master English will really be able to appreciate this joke, and for them it is more an observation of a hard reality than an indication of the stupidity of the Maharaja.

Most Indians keep dogs not out of any affection for the animal - the dog never becomes a family animal as it does with Americans or the British - but as a status symbol. Giving English names to the dogs and talking to the animal in English enhances the status value of this practice, as English is perceived in India as a symbol of the elite. This is why even those people who know very little English will claim good proficiency over the language, and more painfully, push their children into English-medium schools, as they see English as a ladder that these unfortunate children can use to climb up in society. What usually happens is that these children grow up linguistically-challenged knowing neither English nor their mother tongue well enough.

[Edited at 2015-01-24 12:40 GMT]
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Angelique Blommaert
Angelique Blommaert  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 15:34
Member (2012)
German to Dutch
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Veteran buddy dog Jan 24, 2015

We just got our buddy dog. My sweetheart is a war veteran and did not get out of the house. We were on a waitinglist. Last monday Hasse came to us. He is from Finland, got his puppy training in Finnish and his first veteran training in Finnish too. The Dutch Guidedog Society gave him a course in Dutch. We talk Dutch. I wonder what Hasse will do when he hears Finnish all of a sudden....

 
Rachel Braff
Rachel Braff  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:34
French to English
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French Jan 26, 2015

I speak French to my dogs, although I don't know why and feel kind of silly about it (I try to switch to English when English speakers are around). As others have said, they seem to respond more to gestures and tone of voice anyway (when they're feeling compliant, that is).

Balasubramaniam L., that was a fascinating aside about pets and language in India!


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 15:34
Member (2003)
Danish to English
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Me too! Jan 26, 2015

Balasubramaniam L. wrote:

...I can recall a funny story regarding this. There was once an Indian Maharaja who when asked after his maiden visit to England what he found most admirable in that country, replied, "I was astonished to see even small children there speaking good English!"

...


I had a similar double-take after living in Denmark for a few years. On one visit to England I started speaking Danish to children, and you can bet I got some funny looks! I knew grown-ups everywhere speak English, but it seemed a bit much to expect of most children my son's age...

We have not had many pets - getting someone to look after them when we travel is too complicated. We did have a cat for a few years, known as Tiggi (from Tigger in the Winnie-the Pooh bookks, so basically English, but not quite). We alway spoke to Tiggi and everyone else's pets over here in Danish.

I even adress cats in the UK in Danish when no one is looking, and they purr or ignore me regardless of which language I use. I can't compete with my husband for the attention of dogs. He goes rapidly from Danish to some doggy language that they adore.


 
Alessandra Maugeri
Alessandra Maugeri  Identity Verified
Local time: 15:34
English to Italian
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Cats Jan 27, 2015

My two cats don't seem to care much about which language I use (or about what I'm actually saying, for that matter...) but they do react IMMEDIATELY to the magic word "pappa!" (food!)

 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 15:34
French to English
French... Jan 27, 2015

I talk to the cat in whatever language I happen to be thinking in (French or English). Her name is an English word so if I call her, the rest will also flow naturally in English.

When we got the dog, the children decreed that we should only speak to him in French as dogs can only learn about a dozen words. However "good dog" just comes naturally to me (after years of encouraging and praising the children in English). I have since learned that dogs can actually learn a lot more than
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I talk to the cat in whatever language I happen to be thinking in (French or English). Her name is an English word so if I call her, the rest will also flow naturally in English.

When we got the dog, the children decreed that we should only speak to him in French as dogs can only learn about a dozen words. However "good dog" just comes naturally to me (after years of encouraging and praising the children in English). I have since learned that dogs can actually learn a lot more than a dozen words, but the habit has become ingrained now.

The dog is a real live wire, like he has ever-ready batteries in him, so we have to use a synonym for his name when we want to talk about him without him getting excited and hopeful for a walk or food or whatever. We also spell out "sortir" (go out) because he has learned that a walk is on the cards when the word is uttered. And any word that resembles his name (of which there are quite a few in French) gets him slobbering all over you...

I had never had a dog before and he dominated me completely at first, because I'm not the kind of person to shout orders at anyone. I was basically speaking to him the same as to the children, using empathy and active listening and explanations and polite requests. Learning to shout "assis!" was a real challenge to me, and the source of much mockery from others. I comfort myself with the fact that it highlighted what a wonderful Mum I am
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zahra2356741
zahra2356741
United Kingdom
About dog's language. Oct 6, 2020

German language is best for dog. I speak German language with my dog especially when I trained my dog. Well, dogs are usually trained with German words. Excluding Sitz (sit), what are the meanings of the rest of the words? They understand best German, because it is the most accesible to small-minded dog.

 
Mair A-W (PhD)
Mair A-W (PhD)
Germany
Local time: 15:34
German to English
+ ...
oh come on Oct 7, 2020

zahra2356741 wrote:

German language is best for dog. I speak German language with my dog especially when I trained my dog. Well, dogs are usually trained with German words. Excluding Sitz (sit), what are the meanings of the rest of the words? They understand best German, because it is the most accesible to small-minded dog.


oh come on, no dog is small-minded.


Christine Andersen
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 09:34
English to Russian
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A dog? Oct 9, 2020

A guy saw another guy talking to his dog. He came home and said to his cat: "He thinks the dog understands him!". Both laughed. Cats rule! And yes, cats love opera.

Christopher Schröder
expressisverbis
Matthias Großkloß
 
Xiaoqing Cui
Xiaoqing Cui
China
Cat Jan 15, 2022

Well, that is an interesting question. I don't have a dog but I have a cat. I got her when I was studying in Australia, so basically I think she 'understands' English. I used to speak English to her, even though my mother language is actually Cantonese and I used it at home with my roommate. Things changed after I came back to China. Of course, I brought her with me. My mom can only speak Cantonese, it seems that she does understand what my mom said and my cat just loves my mom so much haha.

 
Andreas Giglberger
Andreas Giglberger  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:34
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
A few cats and one dog Jan 15, 2022

Depending on the situation, either Bavarian, cute German or my own conlang.

 
Iris Mesko
Iris Mesko  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:34
Member (2006)
Slovenian to German
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SITE LOCALIZER
French Jan 15, 2022

I spoke to my dog in French. For many reasons: I wanted my stepchildren to get motivated to learn French, I wanted to give him orders in a different language than all the other dog keepers.

When Slovenian friends came to visit me, they were a bit unhappy: "Oh my God, and you even do not speak Slovenian to the dog!!! Poor dog!"

But I remember a very dear friend of my mother and Univ. prof of English to have been shocked because we talked English to my sister's dog, as th
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I spoke to my dog in French. For many reasons: I wanted my stepchildren to get motivated to learn French, I wanted to give him orders in a different language than all the other dog keepers.

When Slovenian friends came to visit me, they were a bit unhappy: "Oh my God, and you even do not speak Slovenian to the dog!!! Poor dog!"

But I remember a very dear friend of my mother and Univ. prof of English to have been shocked because we talked English to my sister's dog, as they were both coming from New York. So also my nieces talked English to that dog. She said: "Oh my god, those girls speak English to the dog, subconsciously they will think English is the language for DOGS and not HUMANS!"
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Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 11:34
Portuguese to English
+ ...
A dog that could spell Jan 17, 2022

I don't have any pets right now.
However, when I was very young we had a dog who could spell.
Whenever we were going to take the dog for a walk we would say W-A-L-K (spelling the letters) and soon when we got to A the dog started to wag its tail and its ears would suddenly pop up.


 
Emily Gilby
Emily Gilby  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:34
Member (2018)
French to English
+ ...
S words Jan 19, 2022

Being a border collie, my dog loves learning new commands (English as my husband and I are both native English speakers), however, we seemed to hit a ceiling with words beginning with "s"! I think he'd become saturated with "s" words and was finding it hard to distinguish them. When we tried to teach him "stand", he would always offer either "sit", "stay", "spin" or "side" instead, like he'd reached the limit of "s" words he could remember! So for "stand", I use Italian as it begins with an "a" ... See more
Being a border collie, my dog loves learning new commands (English as my husband and I are both native English speakers), however, we seemed to hit a ceiling with words beginning with "s"! I think he'd become saturated with "s" words and was finding it hard to distinguish them. When we tried to teach him "stand", he would always offer either "sit", "stay", "spin" or "side" instead, like he'd reached the limit of "s" words he could remember! So for "stand", I use Italian as it begins with an "a" ("alzati!") and it works a treat Now I can tell people we have a multilingual dog and they're always very impressed!Collapse


Mr. Satan (X)
 
Mr. Satan (X)
Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
@Emily Gilby Jan 19, 2022

That's actually a really amazing way to train a dog. It's so sad that I am not the petter type.

 
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What language do you speak to your dog?






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