Everything There Is To Know About Whistling Languages

When we think of languages, there’s a good chance that speaking comes to mind, right? However, there are plenty of other options on the menu, such as sign language, written language, and even the way we use our body language. What about one that uses sound but doesn’t use any kind of words?

One that is often overlooked is whistling languages, but it might be little surprise when learning it’s an ancient art that’s still used in remote areas of the world. However, the people who do know how to use whistling languages are truly keeping one of the best aspects of the past alive with each new generation.

Standard talking doesn’t always work

It’s natural for humans to want to use their voices to communicate. However, there are times that talking isn’t the best way to get the point across. What happens when you’re on the edge of a mountain, and you need to talk to your friend on the next mountain over? Perhaps you’re trying to communicate with someone else about the job at hand? Whatever the case, shouting can only travel 591 feet, and it often gets lost in translation as it echoes and becomes almost unrecognizable. In the end, having to walk to find the person is usually the better option - or is it?

Why use whistling languages?

One of the most common reasons people use whistling languages is that a whistle can travel and be heard up more than five miles away. This is very different from using our speaking or shouting voices, as a whistle is clear and high pitched, and the frequency is narrow. All of this means that whistling languages can easily splinter through the air and get the message across with ease, so long as the other person knows what to listen out for. Now, there are over 70 groups of people who know how to communicate through whistles alone.

Who uses whistling languages?

Having learned everything there is to know about whistling languages so far, it might come as little surprise that there are plenty of different people who use them. They are most commonly used on mountains and in mountain ranges where voices tend to echo. This could be for farm workers or shepherds moving animals. They’re not alone. Inuits are also known to use whistling languages while hinting and working out at sea. To top it off, whistles can penetrate through the Amazon rainforest, meaning hunters often use these languages to communicate without scaring any animals.

How do whistling languages work?

It seems that whistling languages vary depending on where you are in the world. In China, a lot of the language is tonal and relies on the sounds of vowels and consonants to get a message across. This means their whistling languages tend to follow the same patterns and go up and down in pitch throughout the message. However, the likes of the Canary Islands, where language isn’t so tonal, they use the vowels as the basis of their language before adding clips and slides into the whistle to replicate harsher sounds.

Who would have thought there was so much to a whistle? It turns out that plenty of people have learned to communicate through whistling languages - and with good reason. There are so many benefits to the languages, and it seems it might be time for more of us to think about a change of communication, no?