From the book "Spoken Cat" by Alexandra Sellers Published by: Bellow Publishing Company Limited 8 Balham Hill London United Kingdom SW12 9EA ISBN Number: 1 85725 17 2

Useful Phrases - Cat

• Mow merowwap: I am waiting for my food.
• Maaa mawrow bra: Open this door.
• Mow RRaow row: I am lonely.
• Mow aow row mew: I am cold.
• Maaa mow ruh rowb!: Get off my tail!

Useful Phrases - Human.

• Mow ar prip mma mow Rup: Can I stroke you?
• Mow bBuh birr: Would you like some milk?
• Mow Rowow row: You are very handsome.
• MRaow mmow nrow Blacky: The food is not yours, it is Blacky's.
• Mow maow uh prruh aa ma huh Row: Are you going to come and sit on my lap?

Note: If the cat pays no attention, do not make a kissing or sucking noise. This will be counter-productive. Abandon your efforts and try a second time.

Basics Of Pronunciation

There is an overall nasality to cat utterances.

• b as in "brow" but much less stressed
• f as in "fuss" but with the teeth placed lightly behind the lower lip, and on top
• h as in "huh", a short sigh
• m lighter than the English sound - the lips are together but are opened as the sound begins, so there is no "hum"
• n as for m, a very light sound
• p as in "praise"
• rr trilled r. The nearest human equivalent of this sound is formed when the tongue flutters on the hard palate
• R uvular r, as in French trésor
• RR heavily rolled uvular r
• w the sound made between the "h" and "a" in English "ohh ahh"
• Á glottal stop

An Elementary Conversation

Scene: A human meets the neighbour's cat.

Cat: Mow (How do you do?)

Human: Mow maÁ (How do you do? Can I be of service?)

Cat: MaÁ mupRup birr birr pirp (A dish of cream, if you would be so kind)

Human: Birr birr maÁ bra! (Cream coming up!)

The dish of cream is brought; the cat drinks.

Cat: Mbrwh (Thank you! lit. "pleased")

Human: MaÁ RRow. maÁ ? (My pleasure. Is there anything else?)

Vocabulary

• brap: to eat
• birr: milk
• birr birr: cream
• bra: to work, lift, carry, fetch, do
• maÁ RRow: thank you
• mbruh: nice, pleasant
• mbruuh: thank you
• merowwap: to be hungry
• mew: cold
• mow: cat (used as form of address, Also "to eat" or "good")
• mÁ ow: gently
• mupRup: you must
• mut: pay attention!
• nmbruh: unpleasant (the negative is formed by prefixing the sound n)
• pirp: to bring or offer, make an offering to
• pwah: wet (can also mean to dislike, disdain)
• row: to be
• Row: lap, knee