Introduction: In English, cows 'moo' and dogs say 'woof', and other languages have similar onomatopoeic verbs for the sounds made by various animals. The ancient Roman examples are not only interesting in themselves, they provide useful practice in the sounds of classical Latin, since many of the identifications are obvious, but only when the word is pronounced correctly, with hard c, soft v, rolled r, and the long and short vowels properly distinguished. (For the pronunciation of classical Latin, the best authority is W. S. Allen, Vox Latina, 2nd ed., Cambridge, 1978.)
Instructions: Match the Latin animal names (1-21) in the center column with the English translations (a-u) on the left and the (Latin) animal noises (a-u) on the right. Long vowels are represented by the acute accent (á é í ó ú), since that is what the Romans used, and the macron (horizontal long mark) is not easily represented on the Web.
Answer Key: None is provided. The animal names will be listed in any Latin dictionary, the sounds in any unabridged dictionary. Where the spellings differ, as they often do, I have followed the Oxford Latin Dictionary.
| English Name: | LATIN NAME: | Latin Sound: | |||||
| a. | ass, donkey | ____ | 1. | apis | ____ | a. | bálat |
| b. | bear | ____ | 2. | asinus | ____ | b. | barrit |
| c. | bee | ____ | 3. | bós | ____ | c. | bombit, bombilat |
| d. | cock, rooster | ____ | 4. | canis | ____ | d. | coaxat |
| e. | cow | ____ | 5. | corvus | ____ | e. | crocitat |
| f. | crow | ____ | 6. | cucúlus | ____ | f. | cuculat |
| g. | cuckoo | ____ | 7. | elepháns | ____ | g. | cúcurrit |
| h. | dog | ____ | 8. | equus | ____ | h. | drindit |
| i. | elephant | ____ | 9. | gallus | ____ | i. | fremit, rugit |
| j. | frog | ____ | 10. | infáns | ____ | j. | grunnit, grundit |
| k. | horse | ____ | 11. | leó | ____ | k. | hinnit |
| l. | human baby | ____ | 12. | lupus | ____ | l. | látrat |
| m. | lion | ____ | 13. | mús | ____ | m. | mintrit, pipitat |
| n. | mouse | ____ | 14. | mustéla | ____ | n. | múgit |
| o. | pig | ____ | 15. | ovis | ____ | o. | pipiat |
| p. | sheep | ____ | 16. | passer | ____ | p. | rancat |
| q. | snake | ____ | 17. | porcus | ____ | q. | rugit, oncat |
| r. | sparrow | ____ | 18. | rána | ____ | r. | síbilat |
| s. | tiger | ____ | 19. | serpéns | ____ | s. | ululat |
| t. | weasel | ____ | 20. | tigris | ____ | t. | uncat, saevit |
| u. | wolf | ____ | 21. | ursus | ____ | u. | vágit |
© M. Hendry 1998 This page may be printed out and reproduced ad libitum for non-profit paedagogical purposes, as long as proper credit is given.