View source for Sliding Scale of Animal Communication

{{trope}}
The '''Sliding Scale of Animal Communication''' ranges from only humans being able to talk to all animals (including humans) being able to talk and understand each other.

Here are the levels:

* '''Level 0:''' Humans are the only animals that can talk; the only way people and animals can talk to each other is if some kind of [[Universal Translator|translation]] [[Translator Collar|device]] is used. Note that this tends to be the [[Truth in Television|general consensus]] of [[Real Life]]; please do not list any examples of this type.

* '''Level 1:''' A variant of the above occurs when there are no humans other than [[Token Human]]s in the setting. Only one species of animal is allowed to talk, these [[Talking Animal|talking animals]] being the world's equivalent for humans. Again, the only way they can talk with ''other'' animal species is with a translation device.

* '''Level 2:''' Like Level 1, it occurs when there are no humans other than [[Token Human]]s in the setting and only human stand-in animals can talk. Unlike Level 1, anthropomorphic animals regardless of species or at least two or more species are allowed to talk. Still, the only way they can talk with ''other'' animal species or non-anthropomorphic animals is with a translation device.

* '''Level 3:''' This variant involves a [[Mouse World]] in which only anthropomorphic ([[Civilized Animal]], [[Funny Animal]], and [[Petting Zoo Person]]) animals can talk but don't talk to the humans in the world. The speech capable species can either be one species, two or more species, or any anthropomorphic animal regardless of species. Still, the only way they can talk with ''other'' animal species or non-anthropomorphic animals is with a translation device.

* '''Level 4: [[Animal Talk]]''': Animals have their own language and can talk freely to each other, but to human ears this language is either silence or nothing more than a stream of unintelligible babble. Sometimes the animals can understand human language. Sometimes, not all species can talk in this manner ([[No Cartoon Fish|fish]] and [[Carnivore Confusion|evil predators]] being the most common examples), or only members of the same or similar species can understand each other's particular "language". Again, the only way they can be understood by people is with a translation device. The example can either be a human world example or a [[Funny Animal]] world example.

* '''Level 5: [[Speaks Fluent Animal]]''': Much like the previous level, but with the addition of certain humans who can understand [[Animal Talk]] without need for a translation device. Sometimes the animals can understand the person's human words in return, but other times the understanding is strictly one-way. Sometimes, these people may talk to animals in the animal's own language, but for only one species of animal. The example can either be a human world example or a [[Funny Animal]] world example.

* '''Level 6:''' These animals seem to be a straight example of [[Animal Talk]], but when these animals ever do talk to humans, the humans can understand them. They are really just hiding their ability to talk to people. These animals only talk to people when they are disguised as humans.

* '''Level 7:''' There are certain kinds of [[Talking Animal]]s who can talk freely with people ([[Speech-Impaired Animal|with]] [[Talking Animal|or without]] [[Speech Impediment]]s). Sometimes it may be limited to one, two, or a few specific individuals, but more often than not the ability to talk will be shared by most members of one, a few, or some species. The example can either be a human world example or a [[Funny Animal]] world example.

* '''Level 8:''' A lot or most of the animals or a lot of or most species can talk, whether with [[Speech Impediment]]s or not, and be understood by people. More often than not, the non-talking animals are those that are designated as pets, though there are talking pets. Sometimes, the ability to talk will be shared by most members of many or most species. There is still a language barrier, but some examples are close to not having one at all. The example can either be a human world example or a [[Funny Animal]] world example.

* '''Level 9:''' ''All'' animals are [[Talking Animal]]s (or at least ''all'' animal species are capable of learning to talk by default), whether speech impaired or not, and there are no language barriers between the human stand-in animals and the normal ones. There are no humans other than [[Token Human]]s in the setting. [[Talking Animal]] world examples are allowed if there there are no humans showing up in the world or even mention of humans being in the world at all whatsoever.

* '''Level 10:''' ''All'' animals are [[Talking Animal]]s (or at least ''all'' animal species are capable of learning to talk by default), whether speech impaired or not, and there are no language barriers between animal and human communication.

Related to [[Furry Confusion]], [[World of Funny Animals]], and [[Lions and Tigers and Humans, Oh My!]]. Supertrope of [[Speaks Fluent Animal]], which is Level 5, and [[Animal Talk]], which is Level 4. Related to [[Speech-Impaired Animal]], [[Talking Animal]], and [[Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism]].

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{{examples}}
== Level 0: Only Humans Can Talk ==
[[People Sit on Chairs|Please don't list any examples of this type.]]

== Level 1: Only One Species Of Animal Can Talk ==
=== Western Animation ===
* In [[Olivia]], only pigs can talk.
* In [[The Berenstain Bears]], only bears can talk.
** Not always, at least one book had talking weasels as well, but I am uncertain if they ever talked directly to the bears.
* In [[Angelina Ballerina]], only mice can talk.
* In [[Max and Ruby]], only rabbits can talk.
* In [[Turbo Dogs]], only dogs can talk.

== Level 2: Only Anthropomorphic Animals Can Talk, [[World of Funny Animals]] Version ==
=== Western Animation ===
* ''[[Goof Troop]]'' and ''[[An Extremely Goofy Movie]]'' may seem like Level 1 examples because [[Pete]] and PJ are portrayed as [[Dogfaces]], but they are really examples of this level because [[Pete]] and PJ are really cats.
** And in ''[[A Goofy Movie]]'', Mickey and Donald, a talking mouse and a talking duck respectively, make a cameo.
* The ponies/horses in [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]] aren't all that anthropomorphic, but they are obviously the human stand-in species, though other equines such as mules and zebras can talk ([[Rhymes on a Dime|even rhyme!]]) as well as dragons. Although, ''hydras'' seem incapable of speaking, and so do owls and [[The Phoenix|phoenixes]] (although Philomena the phoenix was a [[Speech-Impaired Animal]]).


== Level 3: Only Anthropomorphic Animals Can Talk, [[Mouse World]] Version ==
=== Film ===
* Only the anthropomorphic mice, rat, bat, and lizard in [[The Great Mouse Detective]] can talk, not the non-anthropomorphic dog, cat, and horses.


== Level 4: Animals Can Talk, But Not To People ==
Examples go in [[Animal Talk]], not here.

== Level 5: One Person or Some People Can Understand [[Animal Talk]], A.K.A., [[Speaks Fluent Animal]] ==
Examples go in [[Speaks Fluent Animal]], not here.


== Level 6: Animals Can Talk And Be Understood By People, but They Hide The Ability ==
=== Western Animation ===
* Dogs in the 2011 ''[[Pound Puppies]]'' TV series can be understood by humans when they talk, but to maintain a [[Masquerade]], they only talk to people when they are disguised as people.


== Level 7: Some Animals Can Talk And Be Understood By People ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' has Oolong (pig), Puar (cat) and Karin (cat) among the heroes' supporting cast. All are funny animals, and there are funny animals who are implied to be sentient that appear sporadically in city scenes. All non-anthro animals are non-sapient. Even Ginyu lost his ability to talk and be understood when he [[Freaky Friday Flip|accidentally changed bodies with a Namekian frog]].

=== Literature ===
* A classic example of Level 5 is ''[[Animal Farm]]'', where the animals can talk to each other, but it seems only the pigs can talk to humans.
* The Cat in ''[[Coraline (novel)|Coraline]]'', which can speak in the Other Mother's World in both the book and the film.
* [[Stuart Little]] seems to blend 3 and 5. Stuart, and mice, and a canary, can talk and be understood by humans. These small creatures can then talk to any other animal but the humans don't understand those creatures, like the cats. However, at least in the movies the humans are never around when Stuart is talking to other creatures so the cats may be wise enough to act dumb.
* Billy-bumblers from Stephen King's [[The Dark Tower]] are either this level or Level 0. Most can only parrot what others say, but Oy shows signs of actual language.
* In the world of ''The Dragon and the George'' by Gordon Dickson, wolves can talk and be understood by humans and dragons. But most animals aren't like this. There's a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] when Jim [[Trapped in Another World|(who comes from our own world)]] tries to talk to a badger, and his friends treat him like he's crazy. He tries explaining that [[Arbitrary Skepticism|since he has encountered a talking wolf, talking dragons, and a talking beetle, he simply expected that a badger would be able to talk]].

=== Film ===
* Iago from ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.
* ''[[The Ant Bully]]'' only showed humans and insects talking.
* Wonderland in the animated Disney version of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Disney film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''.
* Jiminy Cricket and J. Worthington Foulfellow from ''[[Pinocchio (Disney film)|Pinocchio]]''.
* The mice in Disney's ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]'' can talk.
* ''[[The Rescuers]]'' and [[The Rescuers Down Under|its sequel]] count, but since only children are shown to talk to animals, this may be in between Level 4 and this level.
* Donkey, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, and the Big Bad Wolf from [[Shrek]] and Puss In Boots from ''Shrek 2''. The [[Shrek]] movies in general fall either in this level and Level 6, but more like this level.
* The Chipmunks and The Chippettes from [[Alvin and The Chipmunks]], both in the cartoons and in the live action movies.

=== Webcomics ===
* In ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'', some animals can talk and others cannot; according to [[Word of God]], it varies by individual, not by species. Spark, for instance, is a talking cat.
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', with a remarkable lack of any consistent underlying logic. Bun-bun can talk, and he does have extraordinary physical abilities and an only partially revealed past involving tangling with supernatural beings, but there's still no actual indication he's meant to be anything but an incredibly [[Badass]] rabbit that happens to talk. Kiki can talk, as could all the other animals in the animal testing lab she was found in, but it's never said this was the result of any experiment performed on them, and it looks like it wasn't. The Easter Bunny can talk, but he's a... [[Anthropomorphic Personification|lepomorphic personification]]? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer communicates by [[Talking with Signs|holding up signs with writing]]. Frog can talk as a result of a genetically modified earwig altering his brain and giving him intellect ([[It Makes Sense in Context|it makes a little more sense in context]]), but his mate Corsica can't, having remained an ordinary frog like he used to be. Some animals can only talk [[Animal Talk]], which the talking animals may understand, but Corsica is pretty brainless and it's become clear Frog is in fact only imagining her croaks have any meaning — especially as {{spoiler|it's not even the same Corsica any more, and he can't tell the difference}}. Sometimes animals are intelligent and/or talk just for a joke. Sometimes humans think animals shouldn't talk, sometimes they're not bothered by it.
* Some animals in ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' can talk, but so far these have all been doglike gods or [[psychopomp]]s. Ordinary animals generally cannot talk, even if they [[Animorphism|used to be humans]], though one human character [[Speaks Fluent Animal|speaks animal-ese]] to some extent.

=== Western Animation ===
* The monkeys in ''[[Family Guy]]'', not counting [[Funny Animal]]s Brian and Jasper.
** Also, a horse in one episode who is voiced by [[Gilbert Gottfried]].
** This example may fall between this level and Level 6.
* Tim the bear from ''[[The Cleveland Show]]''.
* [[Scooby Doo]] and his relatives.
* The titular character of ''[[Martha Speaks]]''.
** Also, there is a parrot in one episode (“Martha: Deadline Doggie”) that can talk.
* ''[[Top Cat]]'' only showed humans and cats talking.
* Astro in ''[[The Jetsons]]''.
* The mice and Snowball the Hamster from ''[[Pinky and The Brain]]'' can talk.
* Dukey from ''[[Johnny Test]]'' can be understood by people in general, but he hides his speech capabilities from any person except Johnny and his twin sisters.
* Nesmith the chimpanzee from ''[[Planet Sheen]]''.
* Jeff the spider from ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]''.
* Corneil from [[Watch My Chops|Corneil and Bernie]] can talk to people, but he hides that ability from everyone except Bernie.
* Flash the Rabbit and Molecom from ''[[Roary the Racing Car]]''.
* Clams and zebras from ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' talk. Note that even though there are two [[Token Human]]s, this is a [[Funny Animal]] world.
* Paco from ''[[Maya and Miguel]]''.
* [[Chip and Dale]], [[Goofy]]'s mynah bird Ellsworth, and even [[Pluto the Pup]] (albiet extremely speech impaired) and Humphrey the bear and Louie the mountain lion (albeit both [[The Unintelligible|unintelligibly]]) from the [[Classic Disney Shorts]]. Note that even though there is at least one [[Token Human]], this is a [[Funny Animal]] world.
* Monroe from ''[[The Life and Times of Juniper Lee]]''.
* Fu Dog from ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]''.
* Elsie, Harry, and Dennis from Disney's ''[[Stanley]]''.
* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' is a bit weird, there are no humans (unlike many previous incarnations) but ponies seem to fill the same niche. Most hoofed species (and mythological beasts) can speak the same language as ponies but others such as dogs and rabbits cannot, though they generally understand [[Speaks Fluent Animal|Fluttershy]] at the very least.
* The four animal philosophers from [[Adventures from the Book of Virtues]].

=== Real Life ===
* [[wikipedia:Gef|Gef the Talking Mongoose]]. Assuming he was real and not a hoax, the jury is still out as to whether he was in fact an animal that could talk, a poltergeist, or a cryptid.
* [[wikipedia:Hoover (seal)|Hoover the seal]] showed an ability to mimic "Get outta here!" in a thick New England accent.
* [[wikipedia:Alex (parrot)|Alex]]. [[wikipedia:Alex (parrot)#Accomplishments|Just Alex]].
* [[wikipedia:Talking animal|And some other examples on Wikipedia.]]


== Level 8: A Lot To Most Animals Can Talk ==
=== Film ===
* Every animal in ''[[Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'' except the dogs, chickens, and wolf.

=== Literature ===
* [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[Narnia]]'' falls in this level because some of the animals can talk and others cannot. Note that Talking Animals are specific creatures and differentiated from ordinary, non-talking animals, which can still be eaten or used for labor.
* Most of [[Garfield]] falls under [[Animal Talk]], but one stand alone storybook has this. All animals can talk (except Odie), but keep up a [[Masquerade]] for unknown reasons. They break it to warn their owners about a tornado that they can sense.
* In [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s ''Spellsinger'' series, all warmblooded animals, turtles, and amphibians can talk, as can some arthropods living in distant realms. The majority also use the [[Intelligent Gerbil]] trope, but hoofed mammals and cetaceans have a more conventional animal anatomy.

=== Western Animation ===
* [[Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!]] is a [[World of Funny Animals]] example.
* Most of the animals including [[Courage the Cowardly Dog]] can talk.
** He can talk '''to the audience''', mostly in catchphrases, but to Muriel and Eustace Bagge it's yips and gibberish with various levels of comprehension.
* ''[[Spliced]]'' is mostly set in a [[World of Funny Animals]], but humans exist on the show, though none are expressly shown. (An interviewer may be human, but he is off camera.)


== Level 9: Every Single Animal Can Talk, But There Are No Humans ==
=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* ''[[Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew]]''.

=== Literature ===
* ''Guardian's of Ga'Hoole''.
* ''[[Redwall]]''

=== Film ===
* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]''
* ''[[Chicken Little]]''
* ''[[Robin Hood (Disney film)|Robin Hood]]''
* ''[[The Lion King]]''

=== Western Animation ===
* ''[[The Backyardigans]]''
* ''[[Babar the Elephant]]'' and ''[[Babar The Adventures Of Badou]]''.
* ''[[Tinga Tinga Tales]]''
* ''[[Dinosaur Train]]''
* ''[[Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends]]''
* ''[[Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies]]''


== Level 10: Every Single Animal Can Talk And Be Understood By People ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* The animals in ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' literally all speak to HUMANS! And they learn the dub language in seconds!
* In ''[[Pocket Monsters (manga)|Pocket Monsters]]'' all Pokémon speak, except the protagonist's Pikachu.

=== Literature ===
* Pretty much every animal ''except'' Toto that makes the trip to [[Land of Oz|Oz]] can talk there. {{spoiler|Toto can talk as well, he's just quiet.}}
* ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]''

=== Film ===
* Andalasia in ''[[Enchanted]]''.
* ''[[Bee Movie]]''
* Most of the animals in Wonderland in the Disney live action ''[[Alice in Wonderland (film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''.
* ''[[Olive the Other Reindeer]]''
* ''[[The Legend of the Titanic]]'' starts at level 4, but then goes to full-blown level 8 in its sequel.
* ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]] 2'' seems to be at this level, though only Shanti, Mowgli, and Ranjan are shown talking to the animals

=== Newspaper Comics ===
* In ''[[Get Fuzzy]]'', pretty much every animal character seems to have this ability.
* Most of the animals in ''[[Pearls Before Swine]]'' can talk.
* ''[[Bloom County]]''
** [[Executive Meddling|Talk of this element being removed]] is cited in the footnotes of the first volume of the Complete Collection as why the movie fell through.

=== Video Games ===
* ''[[Wandering Hamster]]'', up to including Bob The Hamster himself.

=== Western Animation ===
* Most [[Looney Tunes]] animal characters can talk.
** Same with ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' and ''[[Animaniacs]]''.
* Most animals in [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s [[Saturday Morning Cartoon]]s including [[Yogi Bear]] can talk.
* Most animals in ''[[The Flintstones]]'' can talk except Dino.
** Dino only spoke in the episode he debuted in.
* Every animal in ''[[Little Bear]]'' can speak English but Tutu the dog speaks French instead.
* ''[[Ni Hao, Kai-Lan|Ni Hao Kai Lan]]''
* Most animals in ''[[Dora the Explorer]]''.
* Most animals in ''[[Go, Diego, Go!]]''.
** The show implies Level 4 actually. When Baby Jaguar appears in ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'', we don't understand him.
* ''[[The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!|The Cat in The Hat Knows A Lot About That]]''.
* Most animals in ''[[Super Why!|Super Why]]''.
* As little as characters talk in ''[[Flip the Frog]]'', it seems that everyone seems to understand everyone verbally and nonverbally. Often even inanimate objects join the fun.
* The ''[[South Park]]'' episode "Woodland Critter Christmas" is at this level.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Sorting Algorithm of Tropes]]
[[Category:Funny Animal Tropes]]
[[Category:Animal Tropes]]
[[Category:Animal Anthropomorphism Tropes]]