Buzz
It's hard not to be charmed by the idea of cows mooing differently depending on where they are in the world. I really want this to be true, and if you search for 'cow accents' online, you might believe it. The BBC mentions it. NPR mentions it. Pretty much every major UK newspaper mentions it. Sadly, the real answer is closer to 'Maybe? No one knows for sure.'
Most of the reports suggesting 'cows have accents' emerged around 2006, and many of them leaned on two primary sources: anecdotal evidence from British dairy farmers and John Wells, a Phonetics Professor at University College London.
However, according to Wells, much of the backing that is attributed to him in these stories is really a 'selective and distorted version of what I had actually said.'
He clarified on the University of Pennsylvania's Language Log blog around the time the rumors began circulating that many of his quotes were actually fabricated by a public relations firm.
'They had been hired by a cheese company, West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers, to promote their regional cheese varieties,' Wells explained to Language Log in an email. 'They called me to ask whether cows' mooing could vary by region. I told them I thought it was highly unlikely, but I mentioned that there’s well-established scientific evidence showing that certain bird species do show regional differences in their calls, so the possibility couldn’t be entirely ruled out.'
'Cows, however, generally do not form isolated populations, which would be necessary for regional differences to develop,' he continued. 'On the contrary, cattle are bought, sold, and transported all over the country, and even internationally.'
Wells' 'possibly, but probably not' response was twisted into a 'yes' in numerous stories, and things quickly spiraled out of control. Some reports claimed that Wells and/or other researchers had confirmed the farmers' claims with a study on cow vocalizations. However, if such a study was ever done, no one seems eager to share it. While there are studies on moos as indicators of a cow’s 'physiological and psychological functioning' and reproductive status, there doesn’t seem to be any research published on geographic differences in moos.
