The whistling tradition

Language is defined by Merriam-Webster as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings.

People are able to understand one another because of language. The most frequently used language is conventionalized spoken words. However, in a small village in Turkey, there lived a population who communicate through the use of sounds, but no words, instead they use whistling to stimulate and articulate words. This “bird’s language” dates back 500 years ago and is used by 10,000 people.1

According to UNESCO, “the practice developed as a result of the steep mountains and rugged topography of the region, which required the local population to find an alternative way to communicate across long distances.”2 In addition, most people in the village work outdoors as the main livelihood was agriculture. Indeed, necessity is the mother of invention.

Other regions around the world, including Mexico, Greece, the Canary Islands and Spain have developed forms of whistling language, but none is more varied than the Turkish whistled language containing more than 400 words and phrases in lexicon; the whistling can also travel up to one kilometer.3

The people consider this whistled language as a reflection of their identity and solidarity. Many of them still transmit this language formally (in school) and informally (at home). They also try to keep the practice alive through its annual Bird Language Festival according to the Hindustan Times.4 Unfortunately, the practice is diminishing, and it is mainly due to the success of technological developments and socio-economic changes; the mobile phones as the most common threat to the practice of whistled language.

This language that is mostly used in the villages of Giresun has been added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list of UNESCO5 We do hope that this recognition would help in the preservation of the whistling tradition. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turkish-whistling-language-recognised-by-unesco-h3ln7n7bf https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/whistled-language-00658 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turkish-whistling-language-recognised-by-unesco-h3ln7n7bf https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/offbeat-destinations-bird-language-spoken-in-this-turkish-village-now-on-unesco-list/storyPT6yDhl4jrak83NdWzfgEP.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turkish-whistling-language-recognised-by-unesco-h3ln7n7bf Therapeutic & Alternative Treatments