Silbo Gomero

Silbo Gomero
Native toSpain
RegionLa Gomera
Native speakers
22,000
Spanish language
  • Silbo Gomero
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero
CountrySpain
DomainsOral traditions and expressions
Reference172
RegionEurope and North America
Inscription history
Inscription2009 (4th session)
ListRepresentative

Silbo Gomero (Spanish: silbo gomero [ˈsilβo ɣoˈmeɾo], "Gomeran whistle"), also known as el silbo ("the whistle"), is a whistled register of Spanish used by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, historically used to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys that radiate through the island. It enabled messages to be exchanged over a distance of up to five kilometres.[1] Due to its loudness, Silbo Gomero is generally used for public communication. Messages conveyed range from event invitations to public information advisories.[2] A speaker of Silbo Gomero is sometimes called a silbador ("whistler").

Silbo Gomero is a transposition of Spanish from speech to whistling. This oral phoneme-whistled phoneme substitution emulates Spanish phonology through a reduced set of whistled phonemes.[3] In 2009, UNESCO declared it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.[4]

  1. ^ Busnel, René-Guy; Classe, André (1976). Whistled Languages. Communications and Cybernetics. Vol. 13. Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-46335-8. ISBN 978-0-387-07713-0.
  2. ^ Racoma, Bernadine (11 February 2014). "Silbo Gomero: The Whistled Language". Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  3. ^ Trujillo Carreño, Ramón (1978). El silbo gomero: análisis lingüístico [The Gomeran Whistle: Linguistic Analysis]. Translated by Brent, Jeff. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain: Editorial Interinsular Canaria. ISBN 84-85543-03-3. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero". Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO.