Hi everyone! I've been working on creating an artificial language specifically designed for our canine friends to understand. After diving down the rabbit hole of phonetics, morphology, psychology, etc. I have finally finished an early version of my doglang and I'm looking for some constructive criticism, advice, resources, etc. to better refine it.
For anyone interested in the semantic specifics I have posted it here.
My language (or Doglang) is specifically designed to maximize a dog’s ability to understand and distinguish between commands and concepts, while being as easy as possible for English speakers to learn and pronounce. Doglang is inspired by studies that address how dogs hear and understand spoken language. The features of Doglang include being limited to voiced consonants (consonants that require the use of the vocal chords, e.g. b as in best is used, but not it’s voiceless counterpart p as in patio) and long vowels (e.g. three, eight, blue, etc.), limiting the number of syllables in each command to no more than two syllables, and ensuring that commands remain different sounding enough so as not to be confused with one another.
Here are some of the basic commands I have so far (I’ve included a pronunciation table too):
SINGLE SYLLABLE COMMANDS (FOR PUPPIES)
Command
Pronunciation
Spelling
focus/watch me
vaʊ
vow
sit
ler
lare
down
gel
gale
off (of person)
dev
dayv
off (of object)
dez
dayz
leave it
daɪz
dize
wait
baɪ
by
TWO SYLLABLE COMMANDS (FOR ADULT DOGS)
Command
Pronunciation
Spelling
focus/watch me
raɪz.vaʊ
rizevow
sit
el.ler
alelare
down
il.gel
eelgale
off (of person)
laɪ.dev
liedayv
off (of object)
laɪ.dez
liedayz
leave it
laɪg.daɪz
liegdize
wait
ger.baɪ
gareby
PRONUNCIATION
Symbol
Example
b
b est
d
d ea d
g
g ot
l
l ean
m
m other
n
n eed
r
r ed
v
v iolin
z
z ebra
aɪ
m i ne
aʊ
c o w
e
ei ght
i
thr ee
o
o ver
u
bl ue
You might notice that some of the commands seem to violate the rule that the commands should be different enough so as not to confuse them (i.e., dayv, dayz, diez). My understanding is that in order for a dog to differentiate between two single-syllable commands there must be a difference of at least two phonemes (border collies seem to be an exception). However, in Doglang each letter in each position of a command is determined by the semantic/cognitive primes to maintain consistency in the concepts trying to be conveyed to the dog. Even though dayv (get off of that person) and dayz (get off of that object) will most likely be indistinguishable to a dog, it is not important for them to understand the precise semantics of the commands as they both convey the correction to “get off” (day). As for diez (leave it), dogs tend to have a stronger affinity for vowels than for consonants and will probably be able to recognize the difference between diez and dayz, but in my opinion this is again unimportant as both commands still convey the correction that the dog needs to “move away from the object” (d*z).
The single syllable commands are intended to be used with puppies who have not yet developed the cognitive ability to understand commands beyond the first syllable. As the dog matures they will be able to understand commands that are two syllables. With the two syllable commands the first syllable serves two purposes:
Any feedback that can be provided is greatly appreciated including constructive criticism, recommendations, resources, personal experience, etc.
I’m more than happy to answer any questions about the language that I have not already addressed.
For anyone interested in the semantic specifics I have posted it here.
My language (or Doglang) is specifically designed to maximize a dog’s ability to understand and distinguish between commands and concepts, while being as easy as possible for English speakers to learn and pronounce. Doglang is inspired by studies that address how dogs hear and understand spoken language. The features of Doglang include being limited to voiced consonants (consonants that require the use of the vocal chords, e.g. b as in best is used, but not it’s voiceless counterpart p as in patio) and long vowels (e.g. three, eight, blue, etc.), limiting the number of syllables in each command to no more than two syllables, and ensuring that commands remain different sounding enough so as not to be confused with one another.
Here are some of the basic commands I have so far (I’ve included a pronunciation table too):
SINGLE SYLLABLE COMMANDS (FOR PUPPIES)
Command
Pronunciation
Spelling
focus/watch me
vaʊ
vow
sit
ler
lare
down
gel
gale
off (of person)
dev
dayv
off (of object)
dez
dayz
leave it
daɪz
dize
wait
baɪ
by
TWO SYLLABLE COMMANDS (FOR ADULT DOGS)
Command
Pronunciation
Spelling
focus/watch me
raɪz.vaʊ
rizevow
sit
el.ler
alelare
down
il.gel
eelgale
off (of person)
laɪ.dev
liedayv
off (of object)
laɪ.dez
liedayz
leave it
laɪg.daɪz
liegdize
wait
ger.baɪ
gareby
PRONUNCIATION
Symbol
Example
b
b est
d
d ea d
g
g ot
l
l ean
m
m other
n
n eed
r
r ed
v
v iolin
z
z ebra
aɪ
m i ne
aʊ
c o w
e
ei ght
i
thr ee
o
o ver
u
bl ue
You might notice that some of the commands seem to violate the rule that the commands should be different enough so as not to confuse them (i.e., dayv, dayz, diez). My understanding is that in order for a dog to differentiate between two single-syllable commands there must be a difference of at least two phonemes (border collies seem to be an exception). However, in Doglang each letter in each position of a command is determined by the semantic/cognitive primes to maintain consistency in the concepts trying to be conveyed to the dog. Even though dayv (get off of that person) and dayz (get off of that object) will most likely be indistinguishable to a dog, it is not important for them to understand the precise semantics of the commands as they both convey the correction to “get off” (day). As for diez (leave it), dogs tend to have a stronger affinity for vowels than for consonants and will probably be able to recognize the difference between diez and dayz, but in my opinion this is again unimportant as both commands still convey the correction that the dog needs to “move away from the object” (d*z).
The single syllable commands are intended to be used with puppies who have not yet developed the cognitive ability to understand commands beyond the first syllable. As the dog matures they will be able to understand commands that are two syllables. With the two syllable commands the first syllable serves two purposes:
- to get the attention of the dog if their attention is focused elsewhere
- to further differentiate the command from others
Any feedback that can be provided is greatly appreciated including constructive criticism, recommendations, resources, personal experience, etc.
I’m more than happy to answer any questions about the language that I have not already addressed.