The classification of acoustic signs is related to four aspects, the phonetic, the syntactic, the semantic, and the pragmatic. Canid vocalizations can be subdivided into 10 classes, which are described. The meaning and functions are considered in respect to releasing functions, control functions (in the cybernetic sense) and in relation to metabolism, reproduction and territory. Examples are given of age-specific sounds and of sound ontogeny. In addition, the metrics (entropies of information) are demonstrated in an example of sound sequence in the dog.
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