Moo Y'all
A group of British farmers claim that cows have regional accents and phonetic experts agree…kind of. According to John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at University College London, this idea might not be too far off, as a similar phenomenon has been found to occur in birds.
Dom Lane, spokesman for a group called the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers, believes that the cows’ accents are developed much like they are among humans, especially for those farmers who spend a lot of time with their herd.
"Apparently the biggest influence on accents is peer groups -- on children in the playground, for example," he said. "Herds are quite tight-knit communities and don't tend to leave the area."![Three Cows 2 [smaller]](/food/images/3cows1.jpg)
Wow, this really clears up the conversation I overheard while visiting a local farm recently:
“This is some grass, eh?” Alanis, the Canadian cow, exclaimed while chomping on a delicious piece of turf.
“Best grass by fah!” agreed Willy, who was mostly raised in Western Massachusetts.
“Mais oui! Je t’aime le…grass,” declared the French-bred cow, Pierre.
“Can y’all keep it down, I’m tryin’ to eat,” the bossy Texan, Bessy, yelled.
End scene. [End stereotypes.]
Print this page
Save & Share It
