Dogs respond to human tone without words, hinting at communication older than language
Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University found that humans can convey simple commands to dogs using only tone variations of a nonsense syllable, without any words. Dogs responded correctly to “yes,” “no,” “here,” and “there” cues, indicating they interpret these acoustic signals. The results suggest the existence of an ancient cross‑species communication code that predates spoken language.
- ▪Dog owners repeated the syllable 'bü' in different intonations to signal four instructions and the dogs answered correctly despite no prior training.
- ▪Acoustic analysis showed that 'yes' tones were higher, smoother, and quieter, while 'no' tones differed, and similar patterns encoded location cues such as 'here' versus 'there'.
- ▪The study, authored by Anna Gábor and colleagues and published in the journal Cognition, proposes that this ability reflects an evolutionarily old communication system shared among mammals.
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June 3, 2026 Dogs respond to human tone without words, hinting at communication older than language by Eötvös Loránd University edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Robert Egan Associate Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: Eötvös Loránd University Humans can communicate various instructions to dogs without using actual words—simply by modulating the tone of their voice, a new study…
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