Silbo Gomero: Whistling Language Used On The Canary Islands

Question: What is the Silbo Gomero language?

Answer: Silbo Gomero is an ancient whistling language used by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys that radiate through the island. The whistling language has an “alphabet” of just two vowels and four consonant, so it’s very simple. It enables messages to be exchanged over a distance of up to 5 kilometres.

A message conveyed could range from being an event invitation to being public information advisories. There are no certainties about its origins. It is known that when the first European settlers arrived at La Gomera in the 15th Century, the inhabitants of the island – of North African origin – communicated with whistles. These whistles reproduced the indigenous language. With the arrival of the Spanish, the locals adapted the whistling language to Spanish.

The most likely theory is that the whistle came with the settlers from Africa, where there are records of other whistled languages.

The modern language is a variation of the one used by the indigenous Africans who once populated the islands.

All the people living in La Gomera know the language. Those born before 1950 were taught the language by their elders in their homes and those who have attended or are attending school since 1999 were taught the language formally in school.

The Silbo Gomero has been passed on, from one generation to another, as an element of the community’s intangible heritage.

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Silbo Gomero