European Miaow
On almost every European street there is a cat mooching around doing some very important cat business. But do we all agree about the sound it makes? Is it ‘Miao’? ‘Miaow’? Could it be ‘Miaou’? or maybe ‘Miyaou’?
Sounds of Europe
Biip, Ding-dong, Miaow, Woof, Yuck, Achoo! Even if you can’t spell onomatopoeia, you probably use one or two every day. The sound of a sneeze or a dog bark is the sound everywhere in Europe: but by the time they make it to the dictionary there are distinct differences.. In this section we go back to the basics, and look at how Europeans hear the sounds that people and their furry friends make every day. Listen up!
European Cock-a-doodle-doo
Cocorococo! Kikeriki! Kukkeliky! Gaggalagaggalagó! Cocorico! Cock-a-doodle-doo! Europeans are so multilingual that even their roosters speak several languages. Or at least, they believe…
European Woof
Ão Ão! Guau Guau! Voff Voff! Bau Bau! Dogs make undoubtedly exactly the same sound all over Europe. But surprisingly Europeans do not hear the same sound… Discover how dogs bark across the continent!
European Fillers
We say “uh…” or “um…” in English, “euh…” in French, “äh…” in German and “yyy…” in Polish. A two-person conversation can sometimes be like a tennis match and filler sounds are here to help you think!
European Disgusts
Beurk! Yuck! Eca! Bleah! It is quite amusing to discover all European words expressing disgust when one is confronted to a distasteful meal, a horrible smell or a dirty mark.
European Sneezes
Achoo! Atchoum! Atchim! Atsjú! Hatschi! Etcì! Europeans enjoy a rich vocabulary when it comes to sneezing… But why does the same body reaction produce different sounds all over Europe?
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