What if these goats had taken the accent of their friends?

It is expected to recognize an accent in a conversation. Much less in the calls of young goats. Yet, researchers at Queen Mary University of London recorded four groups of kids at two points in their development: around a week, and then around five weeks.

The ties of kinship explained some of the similarities between their cries. But another closeness appeared: half-brothers and half-sisters raised in the same group produced increasingly similar calls. Their social environment also helped shape their voice.

The word “accent” is a comparison to describe this vocal plasticity. Animals do not discuss in a human dialect, and the study does not demonstrate a regional language of goats. It reveals something more precise, already astonishing: even a limited repertoire of cries can evolve with the companions who surround it.