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ACCOUNT OF A LETTER FROM MR LEIBNIZ TO THE ABB?DE ST. PIERRE, ON A TALKING DOG
[D II, p180]
Without a guarantor like Mr Leibniz,
who is an eyewitness, we would not have the audacity to report that
near Zeitz, in Misnie, there is a dog that speaks. It is a countryman's
dog of normal shape and size. A young child heard it emit some sounds
that he thought resembled German words, whereupon he got it into his
head to teach it to speak. The master, who had nothing better to do,
spared no time or trouble with this, and happily the disciple had an
aptitude that was hard to find in another dog. Finally, after a number
of years, the dog was able to pronounce around 30 words or so, among
them Th?/var>,1 Caff?/var>,2 Chocolat3 and Assembl嶪,4
French words which have passed into German, as they do. It is notable
that the dog was at least 3 years old when it was put in school. It
only speaks by echoing, that is, after its master has pronounced a
word, and it seems that it only repeats when forced, and despite
itself, although it has not been maltreated. Once again, Mr Leibniz has seen it and heard it.
NOTES:
1. Tea.
2. Coffee.
3. Chocolate.
4. Meeting.
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