In a novel I'm writing at the moment, I have to write a young calf's bawl. Now, I'm experienced with cattle in real life and have heard this sound many a time, but I just can't figure out how I'd write it. It's kind of a low, deep-throated, lowing sound... Any help/suggestions are more than welcome! TIA
Bleating. I know it's usually denoting a sheep, but check out the definition. bleat blēt/ verb 1. (of a sheep, goat, or calf) make a characteristic wavering cry.
You could say 'high pitched moo' since its higher pitched than an adult cow, or "warbling moo" or "it sounded like an elephant being swung round by its trunk" (I live on a dairy farm)
From what POV are you writing? Does your POV character find the sound foreign and offputting or familiar and comforting?
'Naaah, naaah,' said the calf. 'What's she say, child?' 'Naaahmee, naaahmee,' the calf repeated, hungry or desirous of bovine refreshment. 'I waannnt ny naummeee...' 'Give the foul creature a handful of straw, should cease her bleatings. Otherwise, ring the vet and exchange her for a quiet one.'
My character is a city girl through and through and finds it offputting. To the other posters; first, thank you for your responses. What I meant though, was not how to describe it but how to write it in dialogue. So "Mrrrr" or something (that's the closest thing to the real sound I could think of).
I feel like there's definitely a vowel sound toward the end of it. The Mrrrrr makes me think of a purr, not the sound of a calf. Honestly, I don't think mooo-ooo-ooo is too far off. Maybe mououou or something, but... what's the dialogue? You couldn't just say she made the sound of a calf?
"Meer, meer." No, no, that is the sound my elderly cat makes. Don't understand her fascination with the Mir Space Station. Go with bleating, or high pitched mooing. Maybe it sounds like an adult cow on helium?
writing sounds is a bit comic like - just describe it, especially if she finds it worrying as you can describe the emotion at the same time. "Sue awoke, what was that sound she wondered, it sounded like an owl being put in a washing machine"
Lol, the last one is possible. It might help y'all understand what I mean if you go on Youtube and look up how young calves sound...
I live on a dairy farm - i know how young calves sound, especially the day they are separated from their mothers - a surprised owl in a tumble drier does it perfectly.
I heard they'd taken out a restraining order to keep you away matt. I'm sure what you were doing to that cow was just an innocent misunderstanding
Lists help: http://www.onomatopoeialist.com/ They do say calves bleat. As a reader that might take me out of the story for a sec. Bleat: Noun - The wavering cry made by a sheep, goat, or calf.
My calf makes a kind of low, deep "merh" sound when she gets scared by something then goes off bucking around her stall.
Exactly! I have no idea why I didn't think of writing it like that; I had "mrrr" which is kinda the same but... wrong.
My cat says hello in the morning and scratches on my nose. I got scratches on my nose all day. And he doesn't actually say proper cat things because I'm his beta-mummy. He says stuff like 'nnnh' and 'eooh' to wake me for feeding. So, if a calf is away from her folk she might talk also - like a dolphin - in principle.
you can use your imagination... I've never heard a tractor molesting a walrus either, but I still understand the description (or a particularly rough running engine)
I would assume it would be similar to a cat in the drier. Thumping against the paddles inside the drier, with a fair amount of metal clunking sounds. And yes this has happened to my cat, she went a few revolutions. But my mom did not know the cat was in the drier at the time. And no I don't think that it would be a good idea to toss an owl in one either. It's an owl not a drier sheet, unless you think that owl poo will make your clothes smell better, when it shits itself after suffering blunt force trauma on top of being semi cooked.
