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Young World
Bow wow are you?
DOGSPEAK: Can you understand? PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL
A British psychology student is looking for 300 dogs that yap, bark, growl and howl. Canine volunteers for a study on how man's best friend communicates with sound, London's Daily Telegraph has reported. Anna Taylor of the University of Sussex plans to record and analyse doggie noises as part of her thesis work for a doctorate. Theory suggests that the evolutionary history of humans and dogs is inextricably linked, and it may be that domestic dogs vocalise primarily for their human companions. "It would be interesting to test this theory, for example, by modifying the recordings then playing them back to humans and other dogs to see how they respond, hopefully showing which acoustic notes are important for which species," said Taylor. "Owners like to think they know what their dog is saying when it barks. Hopefully, this research will help to reveal scientifically what man's best friend is really communicating." It's not exactly new territory for Taylor. As an undergraduate she studied cat purring.
COMPILED BY ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
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