There are over 100 words for the noise a dog makes, in more than 60 languages, according to the work of psychologist Stanley Coren. These range from “ouah-ouah” in France to others less recognisable to English speakers, such as “hong-hong”, apparently, in Thailand. Of course, these differences only reflect the languages of the countries in question, and are nothing to do with the animals themselves.
What’s less widely recognised is that genuine differences can exist in the sounds some wild animals make to communicate, even in different parts of the same country. Song birds such as chaffinches, for example, can show regional differences in the calls they make. This might help to distinguish neighbours from outsiders.