Yeah, animal onomatopoeias can vary quite a bit between languages, as this article from Duolingo explains (though it doesn't include sheep in its list, more's the pity).
But it occurred to me that we actually have something of an example of this in the Croaking Chorus from The Frogs of Aristophanes*, where frogs (according to Aristophanes at least) go: Βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ (Brekekekex coax coax, though note that omicron-alpha wasn't [isn't?] a diphthong in Greek so "coax" is two syllables, "co-ax"). I'm sure it can be argued how much this is a genuine representation of what Aristophanes (and by extension his hearers) thought frogs sounded like and how much it bends to the prosaic constraints of metrical suitability, but it's an interesting example.
* "And I can hum a tune of which I've heard the music's din afore," etc. etc.
But it occurred to me that we actually have something of an example of this in the Croaking Chorus from The Frogs of Aristophanes*, where frogs (according to Aristophanes at least) go: Βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ (Brekekekex coax coax, though note that omicron-alpha wasn't [isn't?] a diphthong in Greek so "coax" is two syllables, "co-ax"). I'm sure it can be argued how much this is a genuine representation of what Aristophanes (and by extension his hearers) thought frogs sounded like and how much it bends to the prosaic constraints of metrical suitability, but it's an interesting example.
* "And I can hum a tune of which I've heard the music's din afore," etc. etc.
Statistics: Posted by Philadelphus — 24 Jul 2024 04:03