Silbo Gomero and Whistled Languages

Presentation Type

Oral and/or Visual Presentation

Presenter Major(s)

Geology, Spanish

Mentor Information

Keith Watts

Department

Modern Languages and Literatures

Location

Kirkhof Center 2270

Start Date

10-4-2013 12:00 AM

End Date

10-4-2013 12:00 AM

Keywords

Arts, Creativity/ Innovation, Historical Perspectives

Abstract

There are more than thirty whistled languages in the world. These languages often arise in rugged areas where the landscape makes communication both difficult and necessary. In Gomera, an island in the Canaries, the most studied of these languages still survives despite the threat of extinction. It not only survives, but in fact it is thriving, due in partto UNESCO's designation of it as a masterpiece of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), and the work of the government of the Canaries. These whistled languages are being made obsolete with the increasing development of mobile communication and the loss of rural lifestyles, but they are worth preserving: their study has much to teach us about our species' cultural development and our language. This paper represents an inquiry into the history, phonetics and perception of this phenomenon.

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Apr 10th, 12:00 AM Apr 10th, 12:00 AM

Silbo Gomero and Whistled Languages

Kirkhof Center 2270

There are more than thirty whistled languages in the world. These languages often arise in rugged areas where the landscape makes communication both difficult and necessary. In Gomera, an island in the Canaries, the most studied of these languages still survives despite the threat of extinction. It not only survives, but in fact it is thriving, due in partto UNESCO's designation of it as a masterpiece of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), and the work of the government of the Canaries. These whistled languages are being made obsolete with the increasing development of mobile communication and the loss of rural lifestyles, but they are worth preserving: their study has much to teach us about our species' cultural development and our language. This paper represents an inquiry into the history, phonetics and perception of this phenomenon.