View source for Silbo Gomero

{{short description|Whistled language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Silbo Gomero
| image            = El Silbo.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| nativename       = {{lang|es|el silbo}}
| states           = [[Spain]]
| region           = [[La Gomera]], [[Canary Islands]]
| speakers         = 22,000
| date             = no date
| ref              = 
| speakers_label   = 
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Italic languages|Italic]]
| fam3             = [[Latino-Faliscan languages|Latino-Faliscan]]
| fam4             = [[Latin]]
| fam5             = [[Romance languages|Romance]]
| fam6             = [[Italo-Western languages|Italo-Western]]
| fam7             = [[Western Romance languages|Western Romance]]
| fam8             = [[Gallo-Romance languages|Gallo]]-[[Iberian Romance languages|Iberian]]
| fam9             = [[Iberian Romance languages|Ibero-Romance]]
| fam10            = [[West Iberian languages|West Iberian]]
| fam11            = [[Castilian languages|Castilian]]
| fam12            = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| iso3             = 
| glotto           = none
| glottorefname    = 
| isoexception     = dialect
| fam13            = [[Canarian Spanish]]
}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH = Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero
| State Party = Spain
| ID = 00172
| Region = ENA
| Year = 2009
| Session = 4th
| List = Representative
}}

'''Silbo Gomero''' ({{langx|es|link=no|silbo gomero}} {{IPA|es|ˈsilβo ɣoˈmeɾo|}}, "Gomeran whistle"), also known as '''''el silbo''''' ("the whistle"), is a [[whistled language|whistled]] [[register (sociolinguistics)|register]] of Spanish that is used by inhabitants of [[La Gomera]], in the [[Canary Islands]]. It was historically used to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys that radiate through the island and enabled messages to be exchanged over a distance of up to five kilometres.<ref name="whlang">
{{Cite book |first1=René-Guy
|last1=Busnel
|first2=André
|last2=Classe
|title=Whistled Languages
|series=Communications and Cybernetics
|volume=13
|publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]]
|year=1976
|isbn=978-0-387-07713-0
|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-46335-8}}</ref> Its loudness causes Silbo Gomero to be generally used for public communication. Messages that are conveyed range from event invitations to public information advisories.<ref>{{cite web
 | last =Racoma
 | first =Bernadine
 | title = Silbo Gomero: The Whistled Language
 | date = 11 February 2014
 | url = https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/silbo-gomero-whistled-language/
 | access-date = 9 July 2023
}}</ref> A speaker of Silbo Gomero is sometimes called a ''silbador'' ("whistler").

Silbo Gomero is a transposition of [[Spanish language|Spanish]] from speech to whistling. The oral [[phoneme]]-whistled phoneme substitution emulates [[Spanish phonology]] through a reduced set of whistled [[phonemes]].<ref name="Trujillo">{{cite book |last1=Trujillo Carreño |first1=Ramón |author1-link=Ramón Trujillo Carreño |translator1-last=Brent |translator1-first=Jeff |title=El silbo gomero: análisis lingüístico |date=1978 |publisher=Editorial Interinsular Canaria |location=Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain |isbn=84-85543-03-3 |url=http://silbo-gomero.com/LinguisticAnalysis/GomeranWhistle1990English.html |trans-title=The Gomeran Whistle: Linguistic Analysis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327173051/silbo-gomero.com/LinguisticAnalysis/GomeranWhistle1990English.html |url-status=live |archive-date=27 March 2023}}</ref> In 2009, [[UNESCO]] declared it a [[Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity|Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]].<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/whistled-language-of-the-island-of-la-gomera-canary-islands-the-silbo-gomero-00172|title=Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero|website=Intangible Cultural Heritage|publisher=UNESCO}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:La Gomera 1.jpg|thumb|left|The narrow valleys of [[La Gomera]].]]
Little is known of the original [[Guanche language]] or the languages of the [[Canary Islands]], but it is assumed that their phonological system must have been simple enough to allow an efficient whistled language.{{r|whlang|pp=9-10}} It was used by the island's original inhabitants, the [[Guanches]]. The whistled language existed before the arrival of Spanish settlers and was also spoken on [[El Hierro]], [[Tenerife]] and [[Gran Canaria]]. Silbo was adapted to [[Spanish language|Spanish]] during the Spanish settlement in the 16th century and was widely spoken throughout into the 17th century.{{cn|date=May 2020}} In 1976, Silbo barely remained on El Hierro, where it had flourished at the end of the 19th century.{{r|whlang|p=8}} Use of the language declined in the 1950s, one factor being the economic decline, which led many speakers to move away to seek better jobs.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20953138|title=Silbo Gomero: A whistling language revived|work=[[BBC News]]|date=11 January 2013|access-date=3 October 2014 |first=Laura |last=Plitt}}</ref> Technological developments such as the telephone played a part in reducing the practicality and utility of the language. The language's earlier survival had been caused by its role in overcoming distance and terrain, in addition to the ease with which it is learned by native speakers.{{r|whlang|p=8}} Most significantly, from the 1960s to 1980s, many people turned away from agriculture and so many middle-class families did not want their children to speak the language, as it was negatively associated with the rural peasants.

In the late 1990s, [[language revitalization]] efforts began, and initiatives from within the community started. By 1999, the revitalization of Silbo Gomero was furthered by education policies and other legislative measures. It now has official protection as an example of [[intangible cultural heritage]].

==Speakers==
Many people in La Gomera speak Silbo Gomero, but their expression of the language deviates in minor ways that show the speaker's origins. According to a 2009 [[UNESCO]] report, all of La Gomera's inhabitants understand the language, but only those born before 1950 and the younger generations who attended school since 1999 can speak it.<ref name="UNESCO" /> Those born before 1950 were taught the language by their elders in their homes, and those who attended or are attending school since 1999 were taught it formally in school. Those born between 1950 and 1980 understand the language but are unable to speak it, as it was hardly used and negatively viewed during their time of [[language acquisition]].<ref name="UNESCO"/>

==Revitalization==
When this medium of communication was endangered in the late 20th century, [[language revitalization|revitalization]] efforts were generated at both community level and governmental level. A combination of initiatives from the La Gomeran community and policies implemented by the authorities saw Silbo Gomero being revitalized and maintained as a cultural asset. These revitalization efforts were well-documented by UNESCO as part of the proceedings for the selection of the 2009 [[Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]].<ref name="UNESCO"/>

===Community initiatives===
In a bid to preserve Silbo Gomero for the island's youth, expert whistlers sought to obtain permission to teach the language on a free and voluntary basis at a dedicated centre. The initiative by the senior islanders garnered encouraging responses, with parent-teacher associations extending it to all schools. The first of many revitalization measures was thus adopted at the grassroots level not by public or private entities, which reflected the locals' attitude toward Silbo Gomero. Education policies implemented later were inspired as such, and revitalization began at the grassroots and escalated to the highest government bodies.

===Government policies===
On 26 June 1997,<ref name="UNESCO"/> the Parliament of the Canary Islands approved a motion calling on the government to include Silbo Gomero as part of the school curriculum. Silbo Gomero then became a mandatory subject in primary and secondary education, as of July 1999. The provincial government was supportive in its implementation of education policy and also the establishment of a formalized Silbo Gomero curriculum through the publication of ''El Silbo Gomero, Materiales didácticos'' (''Educational Materials on the Silbo Gomero'').

In addition to the compulsory learning of Silbo Gomero at the primary and secondary level, an Island School of Silbo Gomero was established for post-secondary students who wish to continue to train in Silbo Gomero until they become accredited professional instructors. Students of the Island School work to become capable of teaching Silbo Gomero not only to their fellow citizens, but also to tourists who visit La Gomera. This facilitates the sustainability of the revitalization and also works towards language maintenance.

Thereafter, the Ministry of Education, Universities, Culture and Sport of the Canary Islands developed a staff training plan in order to ensure that the elderly expert whistlers can be replaced in the near future by qualified professional teachers with relevant diplomas. This comprised the provision of training courses on proficiency in and the teaching of Silbo Gomero. The training plan was launched in 2007, with the participation of 18 teachers.<ref name="UNESCO"/>

Besides the implementation of education policies, the authorities also sought to strengthen the corpus of Silbo Gomero by developing a project to digitize all recorded audio material. Local, national and worldwide distribution of documentaries on Silbo Gomero were also made. The government also raised the status of Silbo Gomero by selecting it via the National Historical Heritage Council to represent [[Spain]] in the nominations for inclusion on the 2009 Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

===Cultural heritage===
Members of the Gomeran community treasure Silbo Gomero as part of the island's identity and use the whistled language in traditional rituals and festivities on the island such as "[[bajada (festival)|bajadas]]", processions that are dedicated to the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin]] or the [[patron saints]] of the community.

On 15 March 1999,<ref name="UNESCO"/> Silbo Gomero was declared as part of the historical ethnographic heritage of the Canary Islands. The annual celebration of "School Encounters with Silbo Gomero" was also inaugurated in La Gomera. In 2005, the monument to Silbo Gomero was inducted in [[Garajonay National Park]].

===Tourism===
[[File:Demostración de silbo gomero, La Gomera, España, 2012-12-14, DD 01.jpg|thumb|x200px|right|Silbo Gomero demonstration at a restaurant in La Gomera.]] Silbo Gomero is not used only by Gomerans since visitors to the island can be exposed to it in restaurants that provide demonstrations for tourists.  La Gomera's minister of tourism, Fernando Mendez, said that whistling is essential to La Gomera's tourism industry.<ref name="BBC"/>

==Features==
{{Listen |filename=Silbo.ogg|left|title=A dialogue in Silbo Gomero}}
According to different studies, Silbo Gomero has between two<ref name="UNESCO"/> and four<ref name="Meyer"/><ref name="meyer_2008"/><ref name="Trujillo_Ortiz_2005"/> vowels and between four<ref name="UNESCO"/> and ten<ref name="Meyer"/><ref name="Annie" /> consonants. It is a whistled form of a dialect of [[Canarian Spanish]].{{r|whlang|p=54}} Silbo replaces each vowel or consonant with a whistling sound. Whistles are distinguished according to pitch and continuity. As with other whistled forms of non-tonal languages, Silbo works by retaining approximately the articulation of ordinary speech and so "the timbre variations of speech appear in the guise of pitch variations".{{r|whlang|p=v}}

Silbo Gomero is a complex language to learn, with its whistling techniques requiring physical precision and a strength of the body parts producing the language that can be acquired only by practice. Silbo Gomero uses the tongue, lips and hands and so differs greatly from conventional language, which uses the mouth cavity to blend and contrast several acoustic frequencies. The whistling mechanism, in contrast, is limited to a single basic pitch between 1,000 and 3,000 [[hertz]]. The physical precision comes in the whistler's ability to vary the frequencies at different speeds and start and stop the production of the sound waves. The technique is handed down within La Gomera's community, with unchanged teaching methods that date to the late 19th century.<ref name="UNESCO" /> Since the same pitch can represent many sounds, Silbo has many fewer phonemes than Spanish. Therefore, communication can be ambiguous; context and word choice are important for effective communication.<ref>{{cite web
 | last =Pereira
 | first =Diana
 | title =Silbo Gomero, a language of whistles
 | date =18 July 2013
 | url =http://termcoord.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/silbo-gomero-a-language-of-whistles/
 | access-date =10 October 2014
 | archive-date =8 December 2014
 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141208120654/http://termcoord.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/silbo-gomero-a-language-of-whistles/
 | url-status =dead
 }}</ref>

===Vowels===
Silbo Gomero's vowels are described roughly as sustained lines of high and low frequencies, which are distinct from each other. 
{| border="1" class="wikitable"
|+ Vowels
! Pitch
! General representation
! Vowels of the spoken language represented
|-
| High frequency
| {{IPA|[[/i/]]}}
| {{IPA|/i/ and [[/e/]]}}
|-
| Low frequency
| {{IPA|[[Open front unrounded vowel|/a/]]}}
| {{IPA|/a/, [[/o/]], [[/u/]]}}
|-
|}
The high-frequency {{IPA|/i/}} represents the {{IPA|/i/, /e/}} vowels of the spoken language being whistled, and the low-frequency whistle of {{IPA|/a/}} represents the vowels {{IPA|/a/, /o/, /u/}}. It is said that it is not possible to produce any vowels with intermediary frequencies because the whistling mechanism does not have the same functions as the vocal mechanism.<ref name="UNESCO" /> In 1978, [[Ramón Trujillo]] of the [[University of La Laguna]] theorized that Silbo Gomero has only two vowels. His work, containing almost 100 spectrograms, concludes that the language has two vowels and four consonants.<ref name="Trujillo"/> In Trujillo's work, Silbo's vowels are given one quality, that of pitch, either high or low.

However, a more recent study gives a statistical analysis of Silbo's vowels showing that four vowels are statistically distinguished in production and perception.<ref name="Meyer">{{cite thesis |last=Meyer |first=Julien |date=2005 |title=Description typologique et intelligibilité des langues sifflées, approche linguistique et bioacoustique |url=http://www.lemondesiffle.free.fr/projet/science/TheseMeyer.pdf |type=PhD |publisher=Université Lumière Lyon 2 |access-date=9 July 2023 |language=fr |trans-title=Typological description and intelligibility of whistled languages, a linguistic and bioacustic approach}}</ref><ref name="meyer_2008">{{cite journal |first=Julien |last=Meyer | title= Typology and acoustic strategies of whistled languages: Phonetic comparison and perceptual cues of whistled vowels | journal=[[Journal of the International Phonetic Association]] | volume=38 | issue=1 | year=2008 | pages=69–94 | doi= 10.1017/S0025100308003277 | s2cid= 55852067 }}</ref> In 2005, Annie Rialland of the [[University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle]] published an acoustic and phonological analysis of Silbo based on new materials that showed that not only gliding tones but also intensity modulation plays a role in distinguishing Silbo's sounds.<ref name="Annie">{{cite journal | last=Rialland |first=Annie | title=Phonological and phonetic aspects of whistled languages | journal=[[Phonology (journal)|Phonology]] | volume=22 | issue=2 | year=2005 | pages=237–271 | doi=10.1017/S0952675705000552| citeseerx=10.1.1.484.4384 | s2cid=18615779 }}</ref>

Trujillo's 2005 collaboration with the Gomeran whistler Isidro Ortiz and others revised his earlier work, found that four vowels are indeed perceived<ref name="Trujillo_Ortiz_2005">{{cite book |last1=Trujillo Carreño |first1=Ramón |last2=Morera Pérez |first2=Marcial |last3=Guarro Pallás |first3=Amador |last4=Padrón Brito |first4=Ubaldo |last5=Ortiz Mendoza |first5=Isidro |last6=Botanz Parra |first6=Rogelio |last7=Darias Darias |first7=Eugenio |title=El silbo gomero. Materiales didácticos |date=2005 |publisher=Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes |isbn=84-689-2610-8 |url=https://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/cmsweb/export/sites/educacion/web/.content/publicaciones/archivos/documento/libro_silbo_gomero.pdf |access-date=9 July 2023 |series=Programas de innovación educativa}}</ref>{{rp|63}} and described in detail the areas of divergence between his empirical data and Classe's phonetic hypotheses. Despite Trujillo's 2005 work acknowledging the existence of four vowels, his 2006 bilingual work ''El Silbo Gomero. Nuevo estudio fonológico''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trujillo Carreño |first1=Ramón |title=El silbo gomero. Nuevo estudio fonológico (Edición bilingüe español-inglés) |date=2006 |publisher=Academia Canaria de la Lengua |isbn=978-8-4960-5936-8 |url=https://portal.academiacanarialengua.org/publicacion/el-silbo-gomero-nuevo-estudio-fonologico-edicion-bilingue-espanol-ingles/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |series=Cuadernos de dialectología de la Academia Canaria de la Lengua}}</ref> inexplicably reiterated his two-vowel theory. Trujillo's 2006 work directly addressed many of Rialland's conclusions, but it seems that at the time of that writing, he was unaware of Meyer's work.

Meyer suggests that there are four vowel classes: {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/u, o/}}. However, Meyer also states there are five perceived vowels with significant overlap. Rialland and Trujillo agree that the [[harmonic]] of the whistle matches the second [[formant]] of the spoken vowels. Spoken {{IPA|/a/}}'s F2 and whistled {{IPA|/a/}}'s H1 match in their frequency (1480&nbsp;Hz). However, there is a disconnect in harmonics and formants near the frequency basement. Spoken speech has a wide range of F2 frequencies (790&nbsp;Hz to 2300&nbsp;Hz), but whistles are limited to between {{val|1200|and|2400|u=Hz}}. That causes vowels to be shifted upward at the lower end (maintaining 1480&nbsp;Hz as {{IPA|/a/}}), increasing confusion between {{IPA|/o/}} (spoken F2 frequency 890&nbsp;Hz, whistled <1300&nbsp;Hz) and {{IPA|/u/}} (spoken frequency 790&nbsp;Hz, whistled <<1300&nbsp;Hz). In whistling, the frequency basement must be raised to the minimum whistle harmonic of 1000&nbsp;Hz, frequency spacing in the vowels, which increases misidentification of the lower vowels.

===Consonants===
Silbo Gomero's consonants are modifications of the vowel-based "melody line" or "vocal line". They can rise or fall and be modified by being broken, continuous or occlusive. The four main consonants in a 1978 analysis are listed as follows:<ref name="UNESCO" />

{| border="2" class="wikitable"
|+ Consonants
! Pitch
! General representation
! Consonants of the spoken language represented
|-
| continuous high pitch 
| {{angbr|y}}
| {{IPA|[[/l/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/ʎ/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/n/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/ɲ/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/ɾ/]]}}, {{IPA|[[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar trills|/r/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/d/]]}} and {{IPA|[[/j/]]}}
|-
| broken high pitch
| {{angbr|ch}}
| {{IPA|[[/t͡ʃ/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/t/]]}}, {{IPA|[[Voiceless alveolar sibilant|/s/]]}}
|-
| continuous low pitch 
| {{angbr|g}}
| {{IPA|[[/ɡ/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/b/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/m/]]}}, {{IPA|[[/j/]]}} and {{IPA|[[/h/]]}}
|-
| broken low pitch
| {{angbr|k}}
| {{IPA|[[/k/]]}} and {{IPA|[[/p/]]}}
|}
The documentation on the official Silbo Gomero page on the UNESCO website is in line with Trujillo's 1978 study. He suggested that consonants are either rises or dips in the "melody line" that can be broken or continuous. Further study by Meyer and Rialland suggests that vowels are stripped to their inherent class of sound, which is communicated in the whistle in these ways: voice ({{IPA|/k/}} vs {{IPA|/ɡ/}}) is transmitted by the whistled feature [-[[continuant|continuity]]]. A silent pause in the whistle communicates [+[[voice (phonetics)|voice]]] ({{IPA|/ɡ/}}), and a [+continuous] consonant gives the quality [-voice] ({{IPA|/k/}}). Placement of the consonant ([[dental consonant|dental]], [[palatal consonant|palatal]], [[fricative]]) is transmitted in whistle by the loci, the sharpness or speed, of the formant transitions between vowels. Consonant classes are simplified into four classes. Extra high loci (near vertical formant loci) denotes [[affricates]] and stridents, rising loci denotes [[Alveolar consonant|alveolar]], medial (loci just above the vowel formant) denotes [[palatal]], and falling (low loci) denotes [[pharyngeal consonant|pharyngeal]], [[Labial consonant|labial]], and [[fricative]]. This gives eight whistled consonants, but including tone gradual decay (with intensity falling off) as a feature on continuous and interrupted sounds gives 10 consonants. In these situations gradual decay is given [+voice], and continuous is given [+[[liquid consonant|liquid]]].<ref name="Meyer" /><ref name="Annie" /><!--chart requested?-->

The representation of {{IPA|/s/}} is treated as a broken high pitch in Silbo though in the spoken language, {{IPA|/s/}} is a continuous high pitch consonant. There are two reasons for the anomaly. One is that in functional terms, {{IPA|/s/}} is high in frequency and thus extremely useful. Also , as the continuous high-pitched consonant of Silbo already represents many other consonants of the spoken language ({{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/ʎ/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/ɲ/}}, {{IPA|/ɾ/}}, {{IPA|/r/}}, {{IPA|/d/}} and {{IPA|[[/ʝ/]]}}), it would be very confusing to add to that list. Thus, as the broken high-pitched consonant does not fully represent {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}} and {{IPA|/t/}}, it can represent the frequently-used {{IPA|/s/}}.<ref name="UNESCO" />

===Cognitive features===
Studies have shown that Silbo Gomero speakers process the whistled register in the same way as standard spoken language. Studies by Manuel Carreiras of the [[University of La Laguna]] and David Corina of the [[University of Washington]] published in 2004 and 2005 involved two participant groups of [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speakers. One group spoke Silbo, and the other did not. Results obtained from monitoring the participants' brain activity by [[functional magnetic resonance imaging]] show that while non-speakers of Silbo merely process Silbo as whistling, Silbo-speakers process the sounds in the same linguistic centres of the brain as those that process Spanish sentences.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Carreiras M, Lopez J, Rivero F, Corina D | title=Linguistic perception: neural processing of a whistled language | journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] | volume=433 | issue=7021 | year=2005 | pages=31–32 | pmid=15635400 | doi=10.1038/433031a| bibcode=2005Natur.433...31C | s2cid=31727535 }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The filmmaker and photographer Francesca Phillips wrote and directed a 26-minute [[documentary]] on the usage of Silbo Gomero in La Gomera, ''Written in the Wind'' (2009). The movie won Best Short Documentary in [[Anthropology]] at the World Mountain Documentary Festival held in [[Qinghai]], [[China]], in 2010.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Phillips, Francesca (writer, director, camerawoman); Perera, Rigoberto (voice-over actor); Miles, Michael (cameraman); Bradshell, Michael (editor); Daltry, Stephen (composer) |date=2009 |title=Written in the Wind |type=Motion picture |language=es,en |url=https://www.francescaphillips.com/written-in-the-wind/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |publisher=Phillips, Francesca}}</ref>

The [[Romania|Romanian]] filmmaker [[Corneliu Porumboiu]] directed the 2019 film ''[[The Whistlers (film)|The Whistlers]]'', in which Silbo features prominently.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

The [[France|French]] singer Féloche dedicated a song to Silbo, released in an album of the same name.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-11-22 |title=French musician Feloche brings new life to Canaries whistle-language |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20131122-french-musician-Féloche-shows-little-whistle-can-go-long-way |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=RFI |language=en}}</ref>

There are other examples of transposition of an oral natural language into a pitch string. When quickly spoken, [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] vowels are [[assimilation (phonology)|assimilated]] and consonants [[elision|elided]] and so linguistic information is carried by the [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] system, which can therefore be transposed into [[talking drums]].{{cn|date=November 2022}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://silbo-gomero.com/ silbo-gomero.com] – Jeff Brent's homepage
* [http://cognews.com/1069225595/index_html Silbo Gomero – The Whistling Language]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213063731/http://cognews.com/1069225595/index_html |date=13 February 2005}}.
* [http://Silbo-Gomero.com/mp3s/BBC-SilboGomeroInterview-8-26-08-JeffBrent-IsidroOrtiz.mp3 BBC4 interviews Isidro Ortiz & J.Brent – 26 August 2008]

{{Culture of Canary Islands}}
{{UNESCO Oral and Intangible music}}
{{Intangible Heritage Spain}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silbo Gomero Language}}
[[Category:Languages of Spain]]
[[Category:Spanish language]]
[[Category:Whistled languages]]
[[Category:Society of the Canary Islands]]
[[Category:Culture of the Canary Islands]]
[[Category:Guanche]]
[[Category:La Gomera]]
[[Category:Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]]