Two pipers may have difficulty understanding each other, especially on their first few meetings – and have to ask each other to repeat sentences – like strangers speaking the same language with different accents. But “after they whistle together for a while, communication becomes as easy as if they were speaking Spanish,” Correa said.
As in many languages, whether whistled or not, there is a generation gap in La Gomera.
Ciro Mesa Niebla, a 46-year-old farmer, said he had trouble whistling with a younger generation who were educated in school because he said, “I’m a mountain guy who learned to speak at home whistle that our family used to run. But I don’t have the vocabulary of those kids who learn to whistle in the salon, which is a bit too fancy for me. “
Some elderly residents have also stopped whistling because of dental problems. Mr Márquez continues whistling with his prosthesis, “but it’s not as easy and loud as if I could press my finger on my real teeth,” he said.
Due to its different geography, it is easy to see why the whistle was used in the Canaries. Most of the islands have deep gorges running from high peaks and plateaus to the sea, and it takes a lot of time and effort to go even a short distance overland. Whistling emerged as a good alternative for conveying a message. The sound is further than the screaming – up to two miles over some canyons and in favorable wind conditions.
Elderly La Gomera residents remember how Silbo was used as warning language, particularly when a police patrol was discovered looking for contraband. In a recent fictional film, “The Whistlers,” gangsters use Silbo as their secret code language.
Some other islands in the archipelago have their own whistling languages, but their use has faded, although another island, El Hierro, has recently started teaching their version. “Silbo wasn’t invented on La Gomera, but it’s the island where it’s best preserved,” said David Díaz Reyes, an ethnomusicologist.
