Vol. 55 No. 4 (2007)
Research Article

Birds are not More Human than Dogs: Evidence From Naming

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  • Ernest L. Abel
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/nam.2007.55.4.349

Published 2007-12-01

Copyright (c) 2007 Maney

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Abstract

This study tested Levi-Strauss's hypothesis that birds are more likely to be given human names than are dogs or other pets. The hypothesis was not supported. Instead, dogs (and cats) are much more likely to be given human names. The results were interpreted in terms of the relationships people feel with different kinds of pets. Pets housed outside the home are least likely to be given human names. Inside the house, pets kept in cages are less likely to be given human names than are pets allowed to roam freely within the home.

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