Why did Ylvis use “go” instead of “say” in phrases like “Dog goes 'woof'”?
Why did Ylvis use the verb "go" instead of "say" in their song "What Does the Fox Say?"
Dog goes "woof."
Cat goes "meow."
Bird goes "tweet."
Is there some specific meaning for "go"?
lyrics
New contributor
add a comment |
Why did Ylvis use the verb "go" instead of "say" in their song "What Does the Fox Say?"
Dog goes "woof."
Cat goes "meow."
Bird goes "tweet."
Is there some specific meaning for "go"?
lyrics
New contributor
4
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago
add a comment |
Why did Ylvis use the verb "go" instead of "say" in their song "What Does the Fox Say?"
Dog goes "woof."
Cat goes "meow."
Bird goes "tweet."
Is there some specific meaning for "go"?
lyrics
New contributor
Why did Ylvis use the verb "go" instead of "say" in their song "What Does the Fox Say?"
Dog goes "woof."
Cat goes "meow."
Bird goes "tweet."
Is there some specific meaning for "go"?
lyrics
lyrics
New contributor
New contributor
edited 2 hours ago
jwodder
638711
638711
New contributor
asked 5 hours ago
Alexey RyazhskikhAlexey Ryazhskikh
1261
1261
New contributor
New contributor
4
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago
add a comment |
4
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago
4
4
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
1
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
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go
9. Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?"
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Examples that show the usage extends to describing sounds that people, animals or things make:
I fly into JFK
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
from Paranoia Blues by Paul Simon
And the colored girls go
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
add a comment |
Verbs with very broad meanings like do or go get the sense of "say" in many languages. English uses "go" to mean "say" in very informal speech. There are children's songs about animal sounds that use it in this way.
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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go
9. Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?"
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Examples that show the usage extends to describing sounds that people, animals or things make:
I fly into JFK
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
from Paranoia Blues by Paul Simon
And the colored girls go
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
add a comment |
go
9. Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?"
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Examples that show the usage extends to describing sounds that people, animals or things make:
I fly into JFK
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
from Paranoia Blues by Paul Simon
And the colored girls go
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
add a comment |
go
9. Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?"
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Examples that show the usage extends to describing sounds that people, animals or things make:
I fly into JFK
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
from Paranoia Blues by Paul Simon
And the colored girls go
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
go
9. Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?"
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
Examples that show the usage extends to describing sounds that people, animals or things make:
I fly into JFK
My heart goes boom boom boom
I know that customs man
He’s going to take me
To that little room
from Paranoia Blues by Paul Simon
And the colored girls go
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
edited 3 hours ago
answered 4 hours ago
michael.hor257kmichael.hor257k
12.3k41941
12.3k41941
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
add a comment |
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
7
7
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
A nitpick: "My heart goes boom boom boom" (also seen in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill") is really not something someone said or uttered. If a heart or a drum goes "boom" it's just a sound made by an action. I'd suggest your answer would be improved by a different example.
– Robusto
4 hours ago
4
4
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
For your second set of lyrics, I think "Wheels on the Bus" (the horn on the bus goes beep-beep-beep/the driver on the bus goes 'move on back'/the baby on the bus goes 'wah wah wah') would be an improvement on that example.
– 1006a
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
@Robusto it's the same thing meaning - dogs don't say the word 'woof', they go 'woof', it's just the sound made by a non-sapient entity.
– Pete Kirkham
2 hours ago
add a comment |
Verbs with very broad meanings like do or go get the sense of "say" in many languages. English uses "go" to mean "say" in very informal speech. There are children's songs about animal sounds that use it in this way.
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Verbs with very broad meanings like do or go get the sense of "say" in many languages. English uses "go" to mean "say" in very informal speech. There are children's songs about animal sounds that use it in this way.
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Verbs with very broad meanings like do or go get the sense of "say" in many languages. English uses "go" to mean "say" in very informal speech. There are children's songs about animal sounds that use it in this way.
Verbs with very broad meanings like do or go get the sense of "say" in many languages. English uses "go" to mean "say" in very informal speech. There are children's songs about animal sounds that use it in this way.
answered 5 hours ago
jlovegrenjlovegren
12k12143
12k12143
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
add a comment |
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
1
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
Yes, for example the "speak and say" toy uses "The [animal] goes:" almost as often as "The [animal] says:" (along with variations like "Do you hear the [animal]?" and "Here is a/an [animal]:"). And of course a stereotypical teenage conversation includes sentences like So then he goes "wait, what did the fox say?"
– 1006a
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Alexey Ryazhskikh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Alexey Ryazhskikh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Alexey Ryazhskikh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Alexey Ryazhskikh is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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4
Note that Ylvis is Norwegian; to me, Dog goes "woof" sounds like a non-native-speaker's approximation of a child's book, not something a native speaker would say – the dog goes "woof" or dogs go "woof" would be OK, but this form sounds awkward.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
@1006a Apparently it doesn't sound awkward to folks in Kentucky: books.google.com/books?id=YSEIPwp0RUsC&pg=PA61
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
@michael.hor257k I'm open to the possibility of dialect differences here, but I'm not sure I'd take the lyrics of an old folk song as evidence for what modern Kentuckians would find acceptable in speech.
– 1006a
4 hours ago
1
@1006a I was being sarcastic. And we are discussing a song, not speech.
– michael.hor257k
4 hours ago
I take it to say is to use language, otherwise to go is to make a sound.
– Willtech
56 mins ago