Animal sounds in English table. Onomatopoeia in English: what does the English dog say? Groups of animals in English

A couple of years ago, many asked a strange question: “What does the fox say?” No, we're not all crazy, we just listened a couple of times to a song by the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, called The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) - “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)”. Of course, thanks to the Internet, the answer to this question can be obtained quite quickly. But after listening to this song, I want to know what else the animals “say.”

✓ In the song we learn what dogs say "woof"(bark, growl). Of course, dogs say this sound too. Well, dogs also talk "bark"- bark, bark, bark.
Of course, this sound can be made not only by our tailed friends. To bark can be translated both as “cough” and “bark”. For example: “This teacher barks at the children everyday.” This does not mean at all that the teacher went wild and started barking at the children. This sentence translates to “This teacher barks at the children every day.”
There are several interesting expressions with this verb. Collocation “to bark up the wrong tree” literally translated as “bark at the wrong tree,” that is, “to be on the wrong path.”
And for those who have friends who like to interfere in someone else’s business, it’s worth remembering the expression “to come between the bark and the tree”. This means “to interfere, to meddle in one’s own business.”

✓ The song says that the frogs say “to croak”. Everything is correct here. Frogs really do croak. But if you hear someone say that a person is “croak”, then know that here it will be translated as “grumble”, “grumble”.
It is also interesting that in slang the verb “to croak” is synonymous with the word “to die” (to die).
He croaked as soon as they got to the hospital“He died as soon as they got to the hospital.”

✓ The charming elephant according to the lyrics of the song should "toot"- trumpet. However, if you look in the dictionary, you can find out that this sound can also be translated as “roar”, “scream”. True, then for some reason the character in the sentence will be a donkey.
It is also believed that an elephant can “to trumpet”, that is, “to make the sound of a trumpet,” “to blow.” This word can also be used in a figurative meaning. Eg: “They trumpeted the story all over the country”“They spread the story all over the country.”

✓ If there is a mouse in your house, then know that it “to squeak”(squeaks). But in slang, a phrase with this word can mean something completely different. “To give smb. a squeak" translates to “give someone a small chance.”

✓ Does the lion at the zoo make any sounds? Know that he “to roar”- “roar”, “growl”. In general, any animal that can growl in English will “speak” exactly “roar”. Remember these interesting expressions: toroar with laughter- laugh out loud, to roar with pain- roar in pain

✓ Remember Harry Potter? So, when he communicated with snakes, they “to hiss” in response (“hiss”). It is curious that such a quiet verb in Russian can sometimes be translated as “boo.”
Her performance was so bad that the crowd hissed her out.- Her performance was so terrible that the crowd booed her (boosed her away). (Hiss away/down/off/out – drive away with a hiss/boo)

✓ We all know that bees “to buzz”(buzzing). In fact, all buzzing actions can be translated by this verb. For example, your phone can also “to buzz”. And in general, one of the translations of “to buzz” is “to fuss”, “mumble”, “gossip”. By the way, if a person does not do all this, then he - buzzkill, that is, a grumbler, a person who poisons the pleasure of others. A synonym for this word is killjoy.

✓ If you have ever heard the cry of an owl, then know that it was “to hoot”(hoot, cry of an owl). It is curious that it turns out that the degree of interest among English-speaking people is determined precisely by the number of such owl sounds. To care two hoots- at least be a little interested. Not give two hoots about– I don’t care. (For example: “I don’t give two hoots, if he comes to visit me or not” (I don’t care whether he comes to visit me or not)).

✓ It turns out that the turkeys say “to gobble”- “wiggle.” Well, if this verb is applied to any other animal, then it will most likely mean “eat quickly.” Eg: "The pigs gobbled down the food"— The pigs quickly ate the food.

✓ Ducks cackle, but in English it will be “to honk”- “cackle.” Well, the more well-known translation of this verb is “to signal.” He just honked at me“He just honked at me.”

✓ Pigs and horses make curious sounds. We are used to the pig saying “oink”, and the horse either saying “yoke” or neighing quietly at someone. English-speaking animals “speak” a little differently. It turns out that the horse is talking “to next”(neigh) and the pig “to oink”(grunt).

✓ Well, some sounds, on the contrary, are very similar to those made by Russian animals. The cat from England speaks too “meow”(meow), and the American cow will respond joyfully to the Russian one "moo"(moo).

These are some interesting animal sounds. By the way, what does the fox say? According to scientific articles on the Internet, the fox also barks (to bark). Well, it makes a sound a little like the cry of an owl. This sound can be written something like “yow-wow-wow”. Well, it will be much easier to listen to him...

Shutikova Anna

It is impossible to imagine learning English without learning the names of animals. After familiarizing yourself with a minimum of vocabulary and the simplest grammatical structures, you need to move on to short texts in which the presence of animals as characters is highly desirable. When we teach animals in English for children, the traditional set includes approximately equal numbers of domestic and wild fauna. It is better to start memorizing with one-syllable words, gradually moving to two- and three-syllable names.

Animal names in English

At the very beginning of training, it is acceptable for animals in English to be learned with pronunciation in Russian, that is, with Russian transcription. It is strongly recommended that, in parallel with memorizing words, you learn English transcription signs, without knowledge of which it will be impossible to work with any dictionary.

Domestic animals

Cat - Cat

Cow - Cow

Dog - Dog

Duck - Duck

Donkey - Donkey

Goat - Goat

Goose - Goose (goose)

Hamster - Hamster (hamste)

Chicken - Hen

Horse - Horse (hos)

Mouse - Mouse (mouse)

Pig - Pig (pig)

Rabbit - Rabbit

Sheep - Sheep (thorn) [ʃ I:p]

Having gone to the section animals in English with a translation into Russian, it is very important to explain to the child that the British not only call animals “not our way,” but also hear most of the sounds they make differently from us. For example, an English dog barks "bow-bow" or "woof-woof", the chicken clucks "cluck-cluck", the mouse squeaks "squeak-squeak" and the sheep bleats "baa-baa".

It's helpful to introduce these sounds with sentences like these:

• The pig on the farm goes “oink-oink”.
• The horse on the field goes “neigh-neigh”.
• The cow on the meadow says “moo-moo”.

Children notice that native speakers hear some animals in a very unique way, and, for example, the mooing of a cow or the meowing of a cat is reproduced approximately equally by our speech apparatus.

It is also useful to compose dialogues with approximately the following content:

• - What does the cat on the roof say?
• It says “miaow”.

Or a little more complicated:

• - Does the duck in the pool say “oink-oink”?
• No, it isn't. The duck says “quack-quack”.

Wild animals

Bear - Bear (bee)

Crocodile - Crocodile (crocodile)

Deer - Deer

Elephant - Elephant

Giraffe - Giraffe (giraffe)

Fox - Fox (fox)

Koala - Koala (kouale)

Leopard - Leopard (laped)

Monkey - Monkey (monkey)

Ostrich - Ostrich [ɔstritʃ]

Panda - Panda (panda)

Snake - Snake (snake)

Turtle - Tortoise (totes)

Keith - Whale

Zebra - Zebra (zebra)

He, she or it?

When learning the names of wild animals, there is no particular need to reproduce sounds, perhaps with the exception of snakes (hiss). It should be noted that in everyday situations and in real life pronouns he And she are not used in relation to animals. In most cases, you need to use a pronoun it, which is used when referring to inanimate objects. For example:

This is a crocodile. It is green long and fierce.

In fairy tales and some stories, animals are personified and “rewarded” with the pronouns he or she. There is also one very interesting feature in the English language: when you are told about any animal that has a nickname or name (in fairy tales), it is “introduced” as follows:

John, the Cat
Gray, the Horse
Martin, the Bear.

Smart as a monkey

Just like in the Russian language, animals from the British or Americans are endowed with qualities that are inherent in some people. In some cases, these comparisons coincide with ours, when they say about a person that he has the strength and endurance of a horse. For example:

Dick was strong as a horse and he could easily make fifteen kilometers on foot.

On the other hand, when we teach animals in English to children, they need to be taught that we and native English speakers have differences in mentality, and therefore we perceive many realities of life differently. In the field of the animal world, this is especially pronounced in relation to wolves and monkeys. Yes, in some fairy tales we treat the wolf with disdain, but we will never compare a man with a wolf in the following way:

"He's stupid as a wolf", and English-speaking people do this: "Brian's as stupid as a wolf".

Even more curious is the attitude of the British towards monkeys. If we say that a person is as smart as a monkey, most likely he will take this as an insult, but among native speakers this is literally the highest praise:

“Tracy has finished her school with honors - she’s as clever as a monkey”.

As a rule, such transfers of human characters onto animals can be found in fables in literature. The characters there are usually various animals. Reading fables in English is one of the ways to expand your vocabulary; there you will find many names of animals, words that describe character and behavior. At the end of each fable there is usually a moral stated. From these final sentences, which characterize different life situations, you can take a lot of useful things to enrich your speech.

On the educational site, in addition to short funny stories, interesting stories and fairy tales, English fables are also used to learn English. On our website, a user with any initial level of knowledge will find suitable educational material for himself.

One day, my seven-year-old student excitedly asked me this question: If an English dog meets a Russian dog, will they understand each other? I, of course, reassured the girl by answering that dogs understand each other, even if they are from different countries. There really is a reason for excitement: in Russian dogs say “Woof-woof”, and in English “Bow-wow”.

In many English texts and fairy tales for children, animals speak “English,” and children (and sometimes adults) are very surprised by this. In any language there is such a thing as onomatopoeia: one of the oldest forms of speech. People have always tried to imitate animals and the sounds that the objects around them make. This is how our children learn to talk. Adults hardly use onomatopoeic words (except to crow when they lose at cards), and children use these sounds to learn about the world around them.

Each language has its own system of sounds and a special perception of the environment. We hear the same sounds, but we convey them differently in language. Sometimes a person's interpretation is nothing like the original. What I am saying is that the sounds of animals and objects that are familiar to us from childhood sound completely different in English. Onomatopoeia, which are all interjections, is conveyed in many fairy tales and songs. The Old McDonald song, for example, can teach your child many of the sounds that pets make:

Let's look at these familiar to us sounds of animals and birds in Russian and English:

Dog (Woof-woof!): Bow-vo!, Arf-arf!

Cat (Meow): Meaou, neaou, mew-mew

Mouse (Pee-pee): Squeak-squeak

Cow (Moo!): Moo-moo

Pig/boar (Oink-oink): Oink-oink, Squeal-squel, Grunt-grunt

Sheep (Bay!): Ba-a-ba-a

Donkey (Eeyah!): Hee-haw!

Horse (Igogo!): Neigh-neigh!

Bear (P-p-p!): Gr-gr-gr!

Wolf: Puff-puff

Elephant: Ugh - ugh

Leo (P-p-p!): R-r-r!

Snake (Sh-sh-sh!): ch-ch, hiss

Frog (Quack-quack!): Quack-quack!, Krik-krik!

Chicken (Pee-pee!): Сheep -cheep

Rooster (Ku-ka-re-ku!): Cock-a-doodle-doo!, crow-crow

Chicken (Ko-ko): Crow-crow

Duck (Quack-quack): Quack-quack

Turkey: Gobble-gobble

Owl (Woo-hoo!): To-who!

Cuckoo (Cuckoo!): Cuckoo!

Crow (Carr!): Caw!

Bird (Tweet-tweet!): Wee-tweet-tweet

We imitate not only the sounds of animals, but also the sounds of objects around us. Many of them are firmly rooted:

The doorbell rings (Ding-dong!): Link-clank!

Knock on the door (Knock-knock): Nock-nock!

Phone ringing (Ding-ding): Ring-ring!

Explosion(Bang! Bang!): B ang!

Dripping water (Drip-drip!): Drip-drop, drop-drop

Flip-flop

Water splash (Splash!): Splash!

Collision, blow (Slap! Slam! Bang!): Bang!

Hit the drum (Bam!): Bang!

Checkout at the supermarket: Ca-ching!

The click of a pen (Click!): Click!

Keyboard click (Click!): Click!

The sound of boiling water, falling into the water (Glug-glug): Plop

The sound of cutting air (Zhzhik! Zzhukh!): Swoosh! Whoosh!

Pop, balloon pop, shot (Bang!): Pop!

Clack of heels (Top-top): Slickety-clack

The sound of train wheels (Tuduh-thuduh!): Slickety-clack

Squish sound (Squish): Squish

Clang: Clang, clank

Here are some sounds people make:

Sneezing (Apchhi!): Atishoo!

Snoring (Hrrrr!): Z-z-z!

Kiss sound (Smack!): Smack!, Chuck!, Swish!

Heartbeat (Knock-knock): Hump-thump, Throb-throb

In conclusion of the article, but in continuation of this topic, I recommend you a video by the Norwegian duo Yivis for the song “The Fox”, in which the guys are looking for the answer to the question: What sound does a fox make? and offer the fox their own sound options. Original costumes, unusual choreography, overall a very funny video:

I am always amused by the differences in the pronunciation of names in different languages, or, say, the sounds of animals. If you see any inaccuracies in the spelling, please correct them.

The dog barks
In Russia - woof-woof, aw-aw.
In Denmark - vov-vov (vov vov).
In Holland - small waf waf, medium-sized wof wof (woef woef).
In England - yap yap/arf arf - small, wuf-woof/ruff-ruff - medium (woof woof/ruff ruff), bow wow - large.
In Finland - small hau hau, medium and large vuff and rouf.
In France - ouah ouah.
In Germany - wau wau - small and medium, wuff wuff - large.
In Hungary - wow-wow (vau vau).
In Italy - arf-arf/bau-bau (arf arf/bau bau).
In Japan - kian-kian.
In Spain - guau or gua (guau/gua) - small, guav (guav) medium, guf-guf (guf guf) large.
In Sweden - vuv-vuv (vov vov).
In Turkey - hov hov.

The cat meows
In Russia - meow.
In Denmark - miav.
In Holland - miauw.
In England - mio (meow).
In Finland - miau-miau.
In France - miaou.
In Germany - miaou.
In Greece, miau.
In Hungary - miau.
In Italy - miaou.
In Japan - nyan-nyan or nyaa-nyaa (nyan nyan / nyaa nyaa).
In Spain - miao.
In Sweden - mjan mjan.
In Turkey - miyav.
In Latvia - nau-nau

The cat is purring
In Russia - mrrrr.
In Denmark - pierr.
In Holland - prrr (prrr).
In England - purr.
In Finland - hrr (hrr).
In France - ronron.
In Germany - cf (sr).
In Hungary - doromb.
In Italy - purr.
In Japan - goro goro.
In Spain - rrr (rrr).

Call the cat
In Russia, kitty is kitty.
In Denmark - kissar kissar (kissar-kissar).
In Holland - poes poes/ps ps ps.
In England - Pussy-pussy, Pussy-pussy.
In Finland - kis-kis.
In France - minu-minu, bi biss.
In Germany - mietz mietz.
In Greece - ps-ps-ps (ps-ps-ps).
In Hungary - kik-kik (cic-cic).
In Italy - vieni ricio.
In Spain - misu misu.
In Sweden - kiss-kiss.
In Turkey - pissy pissy (pissy-pissy).

Rooster crows
In Russia - crow.
In Denmark - kikiliks (kykyliky).
In Holland - kukeleku.
In England - cock-a-doodle-doo cock-a-doodle-doo.
In Finland - kukko kiekuu.
In France - cocorico.
In Germany - kikeriki.
In Greece - kikiriku/kikiriki.
In Hungary - kukuriku.
In Italy - chicchirichi.
In Japan - ko-ke-kok-ko-o (ko-ke-kok-ko-o).
In Spain - quiquiriquí/kikiriki.
In Sweden - kukeliku.
In Turkey - kuk-kurri-kuu, oo-oore-oo (kuk-kurri-kuuu, u uru uuu (pron: oo-oore-oo)).

Frog
In Russia - kva-kva, bre-ke-keks-kvarax.
In Denmark - kvaek-kvaek (kvæk-kvæk).

In England - croak.
In the USA - ribbit.
In Finland - kvaak.

In Germany - quaak-quaak.
In Hungary - bre-ke-ke/kuty kurutty/kurutch.
In Italy - cra-cra (cra cra).
In Japan - kero-kero (kero kero).
In Sweden - ko-ack-ack-ack (ko ack ack ack).
In Turkey - vrak-vrak (vrak vrak).

Bee
In Russia lzhzhzh.
The most common variant is bzzz, as they say in Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, and Spain.
In Holland - buzz.
In England they use two variants: buzz and bzzz.

In Greece - zoom-zoom.
In Italy - zzzz (zzzz).
In Japan - boon boon.
In Sweden - buzz buzz.
In Turkey - vizzz.

Torture
Like dogs, their sounds are divided into small and large.
In Russia - chik-chirik, fut (usually indicated by a whistle).
Denmark seems to be full of ornithologists. Judge for yourself, these sounds are visible and invisible there. A small bird in Denmark calls simply, but with a taste of pip-pip. The average size is perverted as dit, kari, jai, sige, ligue, sa, tit, son, vol can (dit kari jay sige lige sa tit son vol).
In Holland - tjiep.
In England, baby birds “talk” in different ways: chip/chirp/chirrup/peep. Medium - chip-chip/tweet (cheep cheep/tweet). The big ones actually say something unimaginable - squawk.
In Finland - piip, medium teal/piip, large - you won’t believe it! croak (kvak).
In Germany - sum-sum (summ summ).
In Greece - small and medium squeaks tsiou-tsiou (tsiou tsiou). And big kra-kra (kra kra).
In Italy - small, medium and large are called chip. And the big ones still giggle sometimes - hihihi
(hihihi).
In Japan, nothing special - pii pii (pee pee/pii pii).
In Spain - pio-pio (pío pío).
In Sweden - pip-pip.
In Turkey - juik-juik (juyk juyk).

Chickens squeak almost the same pee-pee everywhere, or piip-piip. And the Japanese distinguished themselves, their chickens squeak piyo-piyo (piyo piyo).

Chicken
In Russia, co-co-co.
In Holland - tok-tok.
In England - cluck cluck.
In Finland and Hungary - cat-cat (kot-kot).
In France - cotcotcodet.

In Greece - ko-ko-ko or ka-ka-ka (ko ko ko/ka ka ka).
In Italy - cocode (coccode).
In Japan, ku-ku-ku-ku/ko-ko-ko-ko (ku-ku-ku-ku/ko-ko-ko-ko).
In Spain - caca-racá/cocorocó/.
In Sweden - ok-ok (ock-ock).
In Turkey - gat gdak (gut gut gdak).

Duck
In Russia - quack-quack.
In Denmark - rap-rap.
In Holland - kwak-kwak.
In England - quack quack.
In Finland - kvak.
In France - coin coin.
In Germany - quack quack.
In Greece - pa-pa-pa (pa-pa-pa).
In Hungary - hap-hap (háp-háp).
In Italy - kua-kua (qua qua).
In Japan - ga-ga (ga ga).
In Spain - cua cua.
In Sweden - kvack-kvack.
In Turkey - vak-vak.

Crow
In Russia (Hungary, Japan) car-car.
In Denmark and Holland, Greece and Italy, Sweden and Germany - kra-kra.
In England - kaak/caw.
In Finland - kraa/vaak.
In France - croa-croa (croa croa).
In Spain - ah-ah (ah ah).
In Turkey - gaak-gaak (gaak gaak).

Cuckoo
Basically, like ours - peek-a-boo.
In Holland - koekoek.
In Hungary - kakukk (kakukk).
In Japan, kakko-kakko (kakko-kakko). And the cuckoo squeaks: tokyo-kyoka-kyoku.

The cow moos(for those like us - muu - I won’t talk about those)
In Russia - muu.
In Holland - moe/boe.
In Finland - ammuu.
In France - meu (meuh).
In Germany - mmuuh (mmuuh).
In Japan - Mau Mau.

Goose
In Russia - eider.
In Holland and Germany - gak-gak (gak gak).
In England - onk-onk (honk).

Donkey
In Russia ia-ia.
In England - hee haw/eeyore.
In France - ian (hihan).
In Germany - tok-tock.
In Italy - yo-yo (ioh ioh).
In Turkey - ai-ai (a-iiii a-iiii).

Goat
In Russia - less.
In Denmark - May (mæh).
In Holland - me-me (mè mè).
In England - naa (naa).
In Finland - maa (mää).
In Germany - maeh-maeh (maehh maehh).
In Greece - maehehe.
In Hungary - meh (meh meh).
In Italy - mek-mek (mek-mek).

Sheep
In Russia - bey.
In Denmark - May (mæh-mæh).
In England - baa (baa).
In Finland - ma (mäh).
In Germany, baehh baehh.
In Greece - May-ee (mae-ee).

Pig
In Russia - oink-oink.
In Holland - knor knor.
In England - oink.
In France - groin groin.
In Germany - grunz.
In Japan - boo-boo (boo boo).

Parrot
In Russia - "ass fool".
In Holland - lorre/Lora Lora (lorre/Lora Lora).
In England - pretty Polly.
In France - coco.
In Germany - Lora Lora.
In Greece - gouri (gyuri).
In Hungary - drinking (pityu).
In Italy - Portobello.
In Japan - good morning - ohayo (=good morning).
In Spain - lorito lorito.
In Sweden - vakra klara.
In Turkey - naaber naaber/nasilin nasilin/muzhuk mujuk (naaber naaber/nasilin nasilin/mucuk mucuk (pron: mujuk)

Subject “Animals”- one of the first ones encountered when learning English. Today we will look at the names of domestic animals, wild animals, groups of animals (such as a flock) in English, and also learn how animals “speak” in English. All words are given with transcription and translation.

Pet names in English

domestic animals		Pets
cow		cow
bull		bull
horse		horse
stallion	[ˈstæljən]	stallion
mare		mare
goat		goat
he goat		goat
sheep	[ʃiːp]	sheep
ram		ram
donkey	[ˈdɒŋki]	donkey
mule		mule
pig		pig
cat		cat
dog		dog
calf		calf
lamb		lamb
foal		foal
piglet	[ˈpɪglət]	pig
kitten	[ˈkɪtn]	kitty
puppy	[ˈpʌpi]	puppy
mouse		mouse
rat		rat
chinchilla	[ʧɪnˈʧɪlə]	chinchilla
hamster	[ˈhæmstə]	hamster
guinea pig (cavy)	[ˈgɪni pɪg] [ˈkeɪvi]	guinea pig

Note:

1. words mouse – mice, not mice.
2. Word sheep in the plural too sheep(the shapes are the same).

Wild animals in English

wild animal		wild animal
wolf		wolf
fox		fox
bear		bear
tiger	[ˈtaɪgə]	tiger
lion	[ˈlaɪən]	a lion
elephant	[ˈɛlɪfənt]	elephant
ape (monkey)	[ˈmʌŋki]	monkey
camel	[ˈkæməl]	camel
rabbit	[ˈræbɪt]	rabbit
hare		hare
antelope	[ˈæntɪləʊp]	antelope
badger	[ˈbæʤə]	badger
squirrel	[ˈskwɪrəl]	squirrel
beaver	[ˈbiːvə]	beaver
zebra	[ˈziːbrə]	zebra
kangaroo	[ˌkæŋgəˈruː]	kangaroo
crocodile	[ˈkrɒkədaɪl]	crocodile
rhino (rhinoceros)	[ˈraɪnəʊ]	rhinoceros
deer		deer
lynx		lynx
seal		seal
tortoise (turtle)	[ˈtɔːtəs] [ˈtɜːtl]	turtle
cheetah	[ˈʧiːtə]	cheetah
hyena		hyena
raccoon		raccoon
giraffe	[ʤɪˈrɑːf]	giraffe
hedgehog	[ˈhɛʤhɒg]	hedgehog
leopard	[ˈlɛpəd]	leopard
panther	[ˈpænθə]	panther
elk (moose)	[ɛlk] ()	elk
anteater	[ˈæntˌiːtə]	ant-eater
opossum (possum)	[əˈpɒsəm] ([ˈpɒsəm])	opossum
puma (cougar)	[ˈpjuːmə] ([ˈkuːgə])	cougar
wolverine	[ˈwʊlvəriːn]	wolverine
dinosaur	[ˈdaɪnəʊsɔː ]	dinosaur

Note: word deer in the plural too deer the shapes are the same.

Groups of animals in English

In addition to the names of individual animals, there are names of groups of animals. In Russian we say a flock of sheep, a flock of wolves, but not a herd of wolves and a flock of sheep. Here is what groups of animals are called in English with a rough translation (rough because the exact one depends on the context):

Group name	Transcription	Approximate translation
colony (of ants, rabbits)	[ˈkɒləni]	the colony
swarm (of bees, flies, butterflies)		Roy
flock (of birds, geese)		flock
herd (of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats)		herd
pack (of dogs, wolves)		flock, pack
school (of fish)		flock, school
pride (of lions)		pride, pack
nest (of snakes)		nest
litter (of puppies, kittens)	[ˈlɪtə]	brood, offspring, litter

As you can see, some words are similar to Russian, some are very different: we also say “ant colony”, but we don’t say “rabbit colony”. What amused me most was that a group of kittens, puppies and other youngsters is called litter - literally, scattered things, garbage, disorder.

What do animals say in English? Song for children

Another interesting topic regarding animals is how their “speech” is conveyed in English. For example, we say that a bird chirps “tweet-tweet” and a pig grunts “oink-oink”, but an Englishman will say that the bird chirps “tweet-tweet” and the pig grunts “oink, oink”.

Here we need to highlight two groups of words:

• Onomatopoeias like “quack-quack”, “oink-oink”.
• Verbs that name the process of “speech” itself, for example: quack, grunt.

Onomatopoeia is well demonstrated in this nursery rhyme:

And here is a list of some, let's say, verbs of speech. In brackets are the names of animals and birds to which these actions may relate.

Now let’s look at what animals these “verbs of speech” refer to:

• growl– bears, tigers, lions
• squeak– rodents (mice, chinchillas, etc.), rabbits
• scream- monkey
• roar– lions, bears
• cluck- Chicken
• moo– cows
• chirp– crickets, cicadas
• bleat– goats, sheep
• bark- dogs
• howl– dogs, wolves
• quack– ducks
• hiss– snakes
• tweet- birds
• meow, purr– cats

I will give examples with some verbs:

Can you hear the dogs barking? Go, check the backyard. - Do you hear, dogs? bark? Go check out the backyard.

Whose cat is meowing ouside for like an hour? – Whose cat is this for about an hour? meows on the street?

The mouse sqeaked and hide under the pillow. - Mouse squeaked and hid under the pillow.

My neighbor's dog howls like a wolf every night. – My neighbor’s dog howls like a wolf every night.

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