2007-01-08 05:01:38 · 3 answers · asked by Luc B 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
I raised pigs on a small scale for some 20 years. I KNOW they're smart, clean (if given the chance) and affectionate. In Sothern Vermont it was mare a "soo-EEE" butt, hey, they don't check spelling. My guess is that they hear that call when called to eat - and associate it with food, or a scratch behind the ears, or some other positive thing. Now, that may be why they come... Why "soo-EEE"? Well, it works - but I strongly suspect that any unique and recognizable call would also work.
2007-01-08 05:10:22 · answer #1 · answered by Richard S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suspect that part of it is that the Latin word for pig is 'sus', and the prefix 'sui' generally refers to pigs in Latin/Romance languages.
The reason 'sooo-EEEE' probably survived even in regions of Germanic/English languages is that 'sooo-EEEEE' carries a lot farther and is easier to draw out into a long, loud call than 'pig', so a farmer yelling out 'sooo-EEEEE' is more likely to be heard, and bring the pigs a-running than yelling out 'pig pig pig'. So the word continued in usage even in areas where the language wasn't used.
2007-01-08 16:13:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a foreign language that only pigs know.
2007-01-08 13:04:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋