January 16, 2004

Pet Communication

Well, it doesn't really merit mention as a language issue, but I'm curious: do cats sigh in a communicative way (as opposed to, for example, purr-sighs indicating contentment)? I ask because my dog most definitely does, when she fails to get what she wants -- a sound best glossed as "harumph!". A quick search confirms that others do list sighs among the forms of canine communication.

And of course, there's the famous quote from Snoopy: "Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement."

Posted by Philip Resnik at January 16, 2004 10:08 AM