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A language whistled across a valley.
Also known as: Whistled language, Silbo
The practice of whistling a spoken language so that it carries across distances speech cannot.
Carries a spoken language in whistled form across distances speech cannot reach.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History
Whistles the language itself rather than a substitute for it, so a fluent whistler can say anything and a listener who does not speak the language understands nothing — the same property as the talking drum, reached in a different medium.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History
Arose independently in mountainous and forested regions on several continents, which is strong evidence that the terrain rather than any cultural contact produced it.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History
Whistled tones tracing a rising and falling curve of pitch, broken by interruptions, following the vowel and consonant articulations of the spoken language rather than a code.