Linguistics with Cats
Study language with the help of cats 🐈⬛
Meowza hooman,
Why should anyone do linguistics with cats? In case you have asked yourself that question, I could ask you in return about why you are reading my newsletter. But that would not answer why anyone does linguistics with cats. The reason is simply that cats are relatable and fun — as is linguistics. You like language, you like cats and — voilá! — you like linguistics with cats.
So there, your catnip for this month are some reasons and ideas for you to do your very own linguistics with cats study
Linguistics is about language, which makes it relatable because language is something we all use and, what is more, easily have an opinion on. Sometimes the opinions are very strong - about usage, about words, about accents, about you name it. Just think about the comments on social media about gendering or correct language.
You might ask me now about the fun in linguistics. That is trickier because my idea of fun might well not be your idea of fun. But - and hear me out (meowt) now - if you actively do linguistics, it can be fun for you, too. All you need to do is to discover that bit of language you want to find out more about.
And this is exactly the point where cats come into play. Cats provide you with the relatable anchor to base your investigations of language on. Erm, I might be talking about me again here but that aside I’ll provide you with some ideas for you to look at.
If you like,
words, you can do things with word meanings and dictionary making. Make a collect-a-word-athon. How many different cat words do you know, use, invent, and hear? Make a list.
sounds, you can compare pronunciations and accents, or different languages. How do people pronounce “meow” in different dialects or languages? By the way the question How do you say “cat” in your language? is a fantastic icebreaker.
grammar, you can build trees. I am serious, there are syntax trees you draw to analyse sentence structure. Eg. you have the sentence: The cat is sitting high up on a tree and cannot climb down, which is why you call the fire brigade.
reading about language, you can look for “cat” in scientific literature. Again, this is something that I do, but let me assure you, you’ll get a high every time you discover the word “cat” in an article or a book which is about a non-cat related topic.
history, you look at how “cat” and “kitten” have developed from earliest times from IndoEuropean to modern English. You can choose other languages, too.
conversations, you listen and learn. You will discover how people speak about their cats and which words they use.
Catspeak Words
My list of catspeak words is actually me collecting cat words for a possible future research article. I am simply collecting more and more examples. And then I might write about word formation or about people playing around with language.
This list of catspeak words is also for you to enjoy the marvellous creations people come up with when they talk about cats.
purrty <purr>, alternative of pawty
meowgical <meow>purrralysis <purr>
purrayer <purr>
genetic meowtation <meow>
Phantom of the Opurra <purr>
Bureaucats: The felines with official positions (found in a BBC article) <cat>
pantherette: female black cat <panther>
giogattolo <gatto>, Italian for “toy” (giocattolo)
Katzisstentin <Katze>, German for “cat assistant”
Catnipulation – the technique used by cats that enables them to get whatever they want <cat>
May the fourth be with you — Star Paws
Luke Skywhiskers
Purrincess Leia
Han Meowlo
Purr2D2
C3Purro
Meowda
Jabba the Cat
Darth Meowder
Empurror PawPawtine
Meowstafar
For more examples and linguistics with cats, check out my book 📖 ⬇️
Purrfect.
Creating meowmories.