Anthropomorphism

On cross-species communication…

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Don Quentin: Why do you call the cat Boris?

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Pete Gonzales: He looks like a Boris.

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Don Quentin: And you talk to him as if he were human. It’s not as though he understands human language.

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Pete Gonzales: Sometimes we communicate using his language.

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Don Quentin: You meow?

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Pete Gonzales: And sometimes I blink at him. Then he blinks back.

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Don Quentin: So, it’s a bilingual relationship?

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Pete Gonzales: Well, at times it seems we’re talking past each other.

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Don Quentin: Like the Chinese expression about a chicken talking to a duck.

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Voice-over

In writing, anthropomorphism helps us relate to animals, they come to life. The stories become more nuanced in meaning. Human language added complexity to the plots of Animal Farm, Cats and The Lion King. Imagine if those stories had been told through grunts, meows and blinks.

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