I honestly would love if we stopped trying to square the circle with speech recognition and just built a phonetic signal based system for computer interaction. Words are overrated, I'd rather whistle at my speakers like I'm R2D2.
More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
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Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#12> "still speak in whistles" "still"? Why is having more degrees of expressiveness in a vocal language considered an anachronism?
Soon we will learn how to eradicate these so-called "whistlers".
In NYC construction workers are having their whistling curbed because most of it was the of sexist kind or at least a sufficient number of recipients didn’t want them.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#13If you can find it, this documentary is a lot of fun:
Pucker Up - The Fine Art of Whistling
The film is filled with gems like one guy explaining as a compulsive whistler he got in trouble once for whistling a tune at a funeral.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#14> "still speak in whistles" "still"? Why is having more degrees of expressiveness in a vocal language considered an anachronism?
Probably they worded it this way (assuming good intentions, of course) because whistle-based language forms were created as a tool to combat communication hurdles in a challenging terrain. With the development of long-range communication, I would dare to say it is amazing that there are still practitioners of whistled speech.
I remember walking in Andalusia an coming across a shepherd sitting on a grass bank, holding his head in his hands, talking to his sheep. It seemed I had stepped back in time and felt it was a very special moment.
Looking back I saw he was actually on his mobile phone.
Other forms of communication are available.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#15Anyone learn to whistle, in any way or form, later in life? I've always wanted to but never been able to. I've tried a few types of whistles. The closest I've gotten is some quasi duck calls using my hands and whistling with the help of an acorn.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#16Anyone learn to whistle, in any way or form, later in life? I've always wanted to but never been able to. I've tried a few types of whistles. The closest I've gotten is some quasi duck calls using my hands and whistling with the help of an acorn.
I actually did, from a Reddit thread that guided me through the process step by step. I’m having trouble finding the exact link at the moment, but it starts with slowly breathing out the letter “Q”.
It’s not a loud, booming sound or anything, but I went from blowing soundless air for 20-odd years to actually whistling.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#17Anyone learn to whistle, in any way or form, later in life? I've always wanted to but never been able to. I've tried a few types of whistles. The closest I've gotten is some quasi duck calls using my hands and whistling with the help of an acorn.
Curious, any reason why you think it might be different later in life?
I think it just takes a lot of practice and patience
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#18This is extremely cool!!! Also I find surprising that, as a Spanish speaker with no whistle-spanish training, I was able to understand most of the whistles.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#19I honestly would love if we stopped trying to square the circle with speech recognition and just built a phonetic signal based system for computer interaction. Words are overrated, I'd rather whistle at my speakers like I'm R2D2.
I would also happily go for that, but I suspect that most people do not want to learn a new way to communicate just to talk to their computers.
Re: More than eighty cultures still speak in whistles
#20Savages.