Several big surprises out of a study recently published in the journal Animal Behaviour about goat voices. First, it had never occurred to me that goats had voices to begin with. We tend to think of all animals as making the same noises, although anyone who has had a dog or a cat can tell you that their voice is different from that of other dogs or cats. Obviously the same is true of farm animals as well, and it's only my ignorance which led me to think otherwise!

 

Second, goats were found to have "accents." An accent, in this context, is the series of inflections which the goat uses in its voice. I knew that orcas and other whales have dialects and accents to their songs - but then again, those are incredibly intelligent animals. I have known several goats, and while they aren't as stupid as (say) sheep, they are also not necessarily the smartest animals in the world. 

 

And finally, it turns out that a goat's accent will change if it is put in with a new flock of goats. In other words, a goat's accent depends on who it has been hanging out with. Just like people, as you may have experienced if you have ever spent time with someone who had a strong accent, only to discover yourself picking up some of their vocal inflections.

 

This "vocal plasticity" in the goat greatly expands our understanding of what animals are capable of. Previously it was assumed that goats' voices were strictly a hereditary matter, end of story. Now it turns out that their voices change over time and depending on their situation, which brings an entirely new level of nuance to our book of goat knowledge.

 

In fact, the team which conducted this study expands that conclusion to say that it is likely that "most mammals can develop an accent from their surroundings." 

 

Your friends' influence on your vocal patterns grows stronger over time, as well. There is a genetic component to a goat's voice, but this component is obviously static. But the more time a goat spends with its new friends, the more its voice changes to be more like theirs. This is no doubt an adaptation to herd life, a way to signal that "I'm one of you." 

 

Which means, if I can speak philosophically, that goats have a pretty concrete understanding of The Other. Marginalization: coming soon to a flock of goats near you!