Understanding Animal Languages - The Brothers Grimm Story

When it comes to the many different sounds animals make, we as humans, try to mimic those same sounds based on what we hear from the animals. However, depending on my mother tongue, what I would say one animal says would be different for another who speaks a different tongue. Here are two prime examples of this: the sounds that frogs and dogs make in one country differ from that of another. Take a look at the following languages:

Danish
Frog: kvæk-kvæk
Big Dog: vov-vov (in a low voice)

English
Frog: croak/ribbit (USA)
Big Dog: bow wow

Finnish
Frog: kvaak
Big Dog: vuff/rouf

French
Frog: croa croa
Big Dog: ouah ouah (in a low voice)

German
Frog: quaak quaak
Big Dog: wuff wuff

Written many years ago by The Brothers Grimm, "The Good bargain" is the name of the story that exemplifies in a charming way the different sounds of animals. The story goes like this:

Once a peasant sold his cow for seven coins; on his way home however, he must pass by a pond that contained numerous frogs that could be heard long before reaching the pound. As the peasant was listening to the frogs, it sounded to him like they were repeatedly saying a word that he recognized. He decided to approach the frogs; upon reaching the pond, the peasant could now clearly hear the word the frogs were repeating, "aik, aik, . . . aik, aik."; it was the word eight in the peasant’s language. "Well, said he to himself, "they are talking without rhyme or reason, it is seven that I have received, not eight." The peasant referred to the monies he had received from the sale of his cow. He cried out to the frogs that he had received seven coins not eight! Still the frogs persisted and would not agree with him.

"Fine" said the peasant to the frogs, "I will show you" and began to count out the coins to the frogs. After counting out his coins, the peasant said, "See here, I have counted my coins to you that you might see seven not eight." Now you’d think that the frogs would change their tune once they clearly saw seven and not eight, but they simply persisted that the poor peasant had eight coins. In his complete frustration, the peasant threw the coins to the frogs and said, "Fine you silly frogs count it for yourselves". Some time passed and the peasant waited patiently on the bank of the pound for the frogs to count the coins and return them to their owner. Their sound of "aik, aik . . . aik, aik" however, did not change nor did they return the coins to their rightful owner.

As the sun began sinking below the horizon, the peasant had no choice but to leave the frogs with his coins and begin the trek for home. Time passed and the peasant soon purchased another cow for slaughtering; as he was making his way toward the gate of the town, with his freshly slaughtered meat, a pack of dogs had gathered there. A greyhound seemed to be the leader of the pack, and upon smelling the raw meat, he jumped at it, inhaled its aroma, and barked out "Wow, wow, wow." Upon hearing the greyhound’s remarks, the peasant responded "Yes, yes, I know quite well that you are saying ‘wow, wow, wow,’ because you want some of the meat; but I should be in a fine state if I were to give it to you." The greyhound answered the peasant with "wow, wow." "Will you promise not to devour it all then, and will you go bail for your companions?" "Wow, wow, wow," was the reply to the peasant.

Because the greyhound kept persisting about the freshly slaughtered meat, the peasant gave in and sold the meat to the greyhound with the reply, "I must have my money in three days or else it will go ill with you, you can just bring it out to me." The peasant unloaded his meat and turned for home. Not being far from where he had left the greyhound with his meat, the peasant heard many dogs barking out "wow, wow." "Hark, now they all want some, but the big one is responsible to me for it."

Three days passed and the simple peasant waited in his home patiently for the greyhound to show with his payment; when the greyhound did not show the peasant left for town and walked directly into the shop of the town butcher to demand his payment. The butcher thought the peasant was joking with him but the peasant assured him that he was not; the peasant inquired of the butcher, "Did not the big dog bring you the whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago?" The butcher reached out, grabbed his broom and drove the poor peasant out of the shop.

"Wait," said the peasant, "there is still some justice in the world!" He began making his way toward the royal palace to find that justice. Upon reaching it, he begged for an audience of the king. The king saw him and listened as the peasant told of the frogs and the dogs; beside the king was his daughter, who had been listening intently to the peasant, upon hearing how he had lost his money, she began to laugh a laugh that she had never laughed before. Upon hearing his daughter laugh, the king replied to the peasant that he could not give the peasant any form of justice for his losses, but he would give him his daughter’s hand in marriage considering she never laughed her entire life. The king had made a promise that the one who caused his daughter to laugh would become her husband; the peasant had to decline though for he was already married. In the place of his daughter’s hand, the king decided that after three days the peasant was to return to him when five hundred would be counted out to him in full.