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Turkish bird language

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Voice of America report on the language, January 2018

Turkish bird language (Turkish: kuş dili) is a version of the Turkish language communicated through high-pitch whistles and melodies. Originally used by Turkish farmers to communicate over large distances and now down to 10,000 speakers. The language is associated with Kuşköy, a village in Turkey's northern Pontic Mountains that has hosted a Bird Language, Culture and Art Festival annually since 1997. UNESCO included the bird language in its 2017 list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. A preliminary study conducted in Kuşköy concludes that whistling languages are processed in both hemispheres of the brain, combining the brain's normal processing of language in one hemisphere and music in the other. Other countries with whistling languages include Greece, Mexico, and Mozambique.[1]

Endangerment causes

The use of cellphones has eliminated the primary utilization of Kus Dili. Since the town of Kuskoy is a farming village with a deep valley, whistling can travel significantly further and be more audible than just yelling. Once the villagers began to get their hands on cellphones, many found this a much easier and more efficient way to communicate.[2]

Due to Kuskoy being a very rural farming village, it does not provide many different opportunities in terms of jobs and lifestyle. Because of this, much of the younger generation is deciding to leave the village in search of a different life.[3]

Education

Kus Dili is currently being taught in two immersion programs as a subject. The first is taught at Karabork Primary School which had 30 attendants when it first became a class. This class teaches students the techniques of Kus Dili as well as the anatomy of the mouth and teeth needed to perform this language. Later, the students would finally learn to communicate with this language.[4]

As of 2019, Kus Dili is also being taught as an elective course at Turkey's Giresun University Faculty of Tourism.[5]

Celebration

Every year since 1997, Kuskoy has held a communal based bird language, culture and art festival, where the community comes together.[2] In this festival, individuals are to compete against each other with their whistling before a panel of judges.[6] The winner is based on who whistles the given instructions the best.[2]

Kuskoy does not receive many visitors but the people want to share their culture and special language with others. To gain more attention from outsiders, the villagers are renovating a school to house civilians for the festival.[2]

Other

Silbo Gomero

Kus Dili is not the only whistling language. Silbo Gomero is another whistling language but instead is from the Canary Islands.[7] Similar to Kus Dili, it almost entirely copies the original language (Spanish) into a string of whistles.[8]

Unlike Kus Dili in Kuskoy, the local government has included it in the mandatory education system of the island.[8]

Silbo Gomero faces the same challenges Kus Dili does. As this language is primarily used for farming in deep valleys, the growth of cellphones has caused its need of use to decline.[8]

References

  1. ^ Fezehai, Malin (May 30, 2019). "In Turkey, Keeping a Language of Whistles Alive". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. ^ a b c d Fezehai, Malin (May 30, 2019). "In Turkey, Keeping a Language of Whistles Alive (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Turkey: Village Preserves "Bird Language" in a Cell-Phone World | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  4. ^ AA, Daily Sabah with (February 17, 2016). "Northern village of Kuşköy still communicates with amazing Turkish whistling language". Daily Sabah. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Ward, Lyn (July 4, 2019). "Kuş dili - whistle language of Black Sea is now a University course". Fethiye Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Fezehai, Malin (May 30, 2019). "In Turkey, Keeping a Language of Whistles Alive (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Robson, David. "The beautiful languages of the people who talk like birds". www.bbc.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Learn Silbo Gomero - become a Silbador!". Busuu. Retrieved December 10, 2020.

Further reading

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