I talk to my 3 wolfdogs, 3 cats, 4 fish, 1 conure (bird), 1 crayfish and, 41 rabbits every day. The listen though they may not understand me, they understand the tone of my voice so, know if I am feeling off or not at least.
I also use echolalia with my wolfdogs, it is actually a significant part of communicating with them. A yawn while averting your eyes form them means that you are relaxed and trust them. A whine means you want them to come and see if you need them, a sharp yip tells them they have played too roughly and hurt you, an extended yip like sound means you want to play with them. A growl tells them that something you are touching is your and, they are not to touch it. A low howl tells them to come see something. A high pitched, repeated howl tells them to come defend you or, chase something with you, such as an intruder or, stray animal that needs to be chased out of the yard.
Echolalia is how I learned to communicate with them in a way they understand. I would mimic them and see how they reacted, I learned what each sound meant to them.
I also use echolalia with my wolfdogs, it is actually a significant part of communicating with them. A yawn while averting your eyes form them means that you are relaxed and trust them. A whine means you want them to come and see if you need them, a sharp yip tells them they have played too roughly and hurt you, an extended yip like sound means you want to play with them. A growl tells them that something you are touching is your and, they are not to touch it. A low howl tells them to come see something. A high pitched, repeated howl tells them to come defend you or, chase something with you, such as an intruder or, stray animal that needs to be chased out of the yard.
Echolalia is how I learned to communicate with them in a way they understand. I would mimic them and see how they reacted, I learned what each sound meant to them.