They do not take into account the direct consequences on the animal receiving the treatment. However, the idea of « good treatment » does not rule out animal neglect, because the words « traitement » (treatment), « bientraitance » (good treatment) or « bons traitements » (good handling) only hold responsible and depend on the person giving the treatment. In French, the expression « bientraitance animale » (good treatment of animals) is mainly used by farmers to show that they treat their animals well.
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The focus of this paper, before being a matter of science or law, is one of vocabulary, for words are often misused because of their definitions, which either do not take scientific progress into account, are inappropriate because no adequate term exists in French, or are so poorly defined that there is still ambiguity over the use of expressions as important as « bien-être animal » (animal welfare) or « bientraitance animale » (good treatment of animals), where each professional sphere has its own understanding depending on personal, practical or economic interests.Ĭhoosing the right words can prevent animal suffering and abuse. (welfare) versus « bientraitance » (good treatment) Therefore, linguistics and more specifically lexicology have a crucial role to play over the years to come in clarifying terms or criticising them when they have been poorly chosen, misunderstood or used inappropriately. And it is also through words that things remain ambiguous or not. It is through words that we raise public awareness. As well as being a matter for scientists and lawyers, animal welfare is also and above all an issue that concerns linguists because it is primarily through words that laws become more specific and adjust to new contexts and ethological discoveries. The meanings of the words used and definitions related to the animal world remain vague. But another reason, never spoken of – given the very few linguists who study the notion of animal welfare – is the language, vocabulary and imaginary worlds associated with animals. There are several reasons for this suffering: the two most obvious ones are economic reasons and the absence of ethical awareness among some professionals.
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Too often the treatment of animals, and the places in which they are kept in farms or at entertainment facilities, do not take into account the biological imperatives of their species, the scientific progress made over the past half-century, or the current legislation (which still does not apply to wild animals).Īnimal welfare, and how to generate it and have it recognised, has become an issue of paramount importance to prevent the suffering and mistreatment of animals.
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Nevertheless, when it comes to the reality of practices in farming, slaughterhouses, some zoos and circuses for instance, there are processes and premises where animals are not treated like intelligent, sentient beings that experience emotions, and places where they may be mistreated or deeply unhappy.įor the past 40 years, the French Rural Code has stipulated that « each animal is a sentient being that must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological imperatives of its species » Yet, today it has been scientifically proven that there are not one but several forms of animal intelligence and sentience: animals cry out because they suffer or because they are scared, they express their welfare when they are happy or feel good. However, since Schopenhauer wrote those words, there has been little improvement in animals’ conditions. We have come a long way since the 17 th century in terms of scientific discoveries in the field of animal behaviour. « The world is not a factory and animals are not products to be used for our needs, for animals and humans are fundamentally the same. » Arthur Schopenhauer (Parerga & Paralipomena, 1851) IntroductionĪbove are the words written about animals by Nicolas Malebranche in the 17 th century and Arthur Schopenhauer two centuries later. Know nothing. » Nicolas Malebranche (De la recherche de la vérité, 1674) Grow without knowing it they desire nothing, They eat without pleasure, cry without pain, « In animals, there is neither intelligence (Eds), Animal Welfare: From Science to Law, 2019, pp.41-46. To cite this article (suggested): Guillaume A., « Animal sentience: use and abuse of words Semantic and translatological differences between « bien-être » (welfare) and « bientraitance » (good treatment) of animals », In: Hild S. (Société française de Zoosémiotique – SfZ) Sorbonne University, Co-chairwoman of the French Society of Zoosemiotics
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