MEXICO, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH, IS HOME TO A WIDE VARIETY OF INDIAN LANGUAGES.

IN THE REMOTE CLOUD FOREST IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE STATE OF OAXACA, NATIVE PEOPLE SPEAK TONAL LANGUAGES AND OVER THE CENTURIES USED WHISTLING TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS THEIR VAST MOUNTAINSIDE LANDS.

A FEW WHISTLERS STILL PRACTICE THEIR ANCIENT TONGUE.

FUNDING FOR IN THE AMERICAS WITH DAVID YETMAN WAS PROVIDED BY AGNES HAURY.

♪ MUSIC ♪ THE STATE OF OAXACA IS HOME TO A BEWILDERING ARRAY OF NATIVE PEOPLES.

THERE ARE 16 DISTINCT ETHNIC GROUPS SPEAKING 62 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

SOME OF THEM COMMUNICATE BY A SOPHISTICATED FORM OF WHISTLING.

THEY LIVE IN A REMOTE SECTION OF THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE STATE HIGH UP IN THE CLOUDS.

THERE'S A GREATER DIVERSITY IN OAXACA THAN IN ALL OF EUROPE.

SOME OF THE GROUPS HAVE ONLY A FEW SPEAKERS REMAINING, OTHERS HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.

THEIR HOMELANDS RANGE FROM THE PACIFIC COAST TO THE CENTRAL VALLEYS TO THE HUMID FOOTHILLS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THIS VALLEY IN NORTHERN OAXACA IS WHAT OAXACANS REFER TO AS LA CAÑADA.

FOR AT LEAST 20 CENTURIES IT'S BEEN A MAJOR TRADE ROUTE BETWEEN CENTRAL MEXICO AND SOUTHERN MEXICO.

VAMANOS.

FROM THE VALLEY BOTTOM WE CLIMB TO THE HIGH SIERRAS TO THE EAST.

HERE I MEET UP WITH LINGUIST MARK SICOLI.

HE'S COME ALL THE WAY FROM ALASKA TO DOCUMENT THE WHISTLING.

OKAY, HERE'S OAXACA.

AND CUITCATLÁN'S UP HERE.

UP TO CUITCATLÁN.

AND THEN WE GO EAST INTO SAN PEDRO SOCHIAPAM.

SAN PEDRO SOCHIAPAM.

THERE'S THREE CUICATEC TOWNS THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH BEFORE WE GET INTO THE CHINANTEC.

YEAH, WE'VE GOT TO GO OVER 10,000 FEET.

WE HAVE TO GO OVER THE DIVIDE, YEAH.

IT'S PRETTY HIGH.

OAXACA IS ONE SERIES OF HIGH MOUNTAIN RANGES AFTER ANOTHER AND ANY ROADS THAT CROSS ARE AN UNENDING SEQUENCE OF HAIRPIN TURNS, CURVES THAT SEEM TO GO ON FOREVER, PLUMMETING THEN RISING ABRUPTLY.

ON THE EAST SIDE OF THESE MOUNTAINS, THE MOISTURE THAT COMES IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ATLANTIC GETS TRAPS, SOMETIMES FOR MONTHS AT A TIME.

SO HERE WE ARE IN SOCHIAPAM AND THIS USED TO BE CLOUD FOREST AND BOY YOU CAN SEE WHY.

IT'S NOT THE DESERT WE SAW ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RANGE.

IT'S THE DRY SEASON OVER THERE.

IT'S NOT GOING TO RAIN AGAIN UNTIL PROBABLY APRIL.

THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID.

BUT ON THIS SIDE OF THE DIVIDE IT'S BEEN RAINING SINCE WE GOT HERE.

IT RAINS ALL THE TIME.

WE'VE GOT TO FIND OUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY SPEAK THE WHISTLED SPEECH IF ANY OF THEM DO, WHETHER OLD PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE, HOW MUCH THEY KNOW, HOW FAR THEY CAN TALK.

IT'S A BIG QUESTION FOR ME.

SAN PEDRO SOCHIAPAM IS A TOWN OF ABOUT 300 FAMILIES OR PROBABLY AROUND 1500 PEOPLE.

IT'S A CHINANTEC COMMUNITY.

EVERYBODY IN TOWN SPEAKS CHINANTEC.

A SMALLER PORTION OF THEM CAN CONTROL WHISTLED SPEECH.

FOR INSTANCE, WHISTLED SPEECH IS SOMETHING THAT THE MEN DO, THE WOMEN CAN UNDERSTAND BUT YOU DON'T HEAR WOMEN DOING IT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND OF THE MEN, THERE'S A SMALLER SET OF THE MEN WHO CAN DO IT.

THE ELDER MEN CAN CARRY ON CONVERSATIONS IN WHISTLED SPEECH, SOME OF THEM, NOT ALL OF THEM.

YOU HEAR A LOT OF WHISTLING AMONG THE YOUTH.

A LOT OF IT MEANS 'COME HERE' OR 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING'.

NOW A SUBSET OF THE YOUTH CAN ACTUALLY DO MORE THINGS LIKE THE OLDER MEN CAN DO AND THEY CAN ACTUALLY WHISTLE CONVERSATIONS AND NEW THINGS.

WELL, THE CHINANTECOS COUNTRY IS PRETTY WILD AND WET AND RUGGED.

I GUESS WE'RE AT ABOUT 4, 000 FEET HERE AFTER CROSSING 10,000 FEET.

YEAH, THIS IS WHAT'S CALLED HIGHLAND CHINANTEC.

THERE'S THREE MAIN GROUPS.

THERE'S HIGHLAND, THERE'S KIND OF A LOWER LEVEL MID GROUP AND THEN THERE'S A LOWLAND GROUP.

AND NONE OF THEM CAN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER, THE THREE DIFFERENT...I MEAN, THEY'RE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT AS SIX DIFFERENT LANGUAGES OR AS MANY AS 14 BUT IT'S A FAMILY OF LANGUAGES.

OH, MY GOD.

SO WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT ALMOST EVERYBODY SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE, CHINANTEC, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T SPEAK SPANISH.

THERE ARE.

YOU WILL FIND BOTH OLDER MEN AND WOMEN WHO DON'T SPEAK SPANISH BUT ALL THE CHILDREN HERE SPEAK CHINANTEC.

THEY HAVE SOUNDS IN THAT LANGUAGE THAT I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO APPROXIMATE.

SEEING THE KIDS COME OUT OF THIS SCHOOL JUST BRINGS ALIVE THE CONTRACTION IN MEXICAN SCHOOL POLICY.

THESE KIDS ALL SPEAK CHINANTECAN IN THEIR HOUSES AND LEARN SPANISH HERE.

SO WHICH ONE DO THEY CHOOSE?

THEY START IN KINDERGARTEN TEACHING THEM SPANISH AND AS THEY GET TO FIRST GRADE IT BECOMES ALL SPANISH.

SO THE TREND IN THE AREA IS ONE BY ONE THE TOWNS ARE LOSING THE CHINANTEC.

THE CHILDREN ARE NOT SPEAKING IT AFTER AWHILE.

THAT'S SORT OF A FUNCTION OF WHAT THE PARENTS SPEAK BUT MORE IMPORTANT WHAT THE PEERS SPEAK AND IF THE PEERS SPEAK SPANISH THE KIDS DON'T WANT TO SPEAK WHAT IS IN THEIR HOUSE, THEY WANT TO SPEAK WHAT THEIR ASSOCIATES OR THEIR FRIENDS SPEAK AND THAT'S HOW LANGUAGES REALLY DO GET LOST.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S IN DECLINE HERE WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY.

IT'S NOT DONE AS IT WAS IN THE PAST.

THE OLDER MEN ARE SAYING THAT THE YOUTH AREN'T DOING IT LIKE THEY WERE DOING IT.

IT USED TO BE MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE.

IT WAS MUCH MORE INTEGRATED IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN CASES OF LANGUAGE DEATH THE LANGUAGE DOESN'T JUST DIE ALL AT ONCE, THAT'S VERY RARE.

IT DIES BITS AND PIECES AT A TIME.

WHISTLED SPEECH IS A PART OF THE CHINANTEC LANGUAGE HERE AND IT IS ONE THING THAT'S GOING OUT BEFORE THE LANGUAGE ITSELF IS.

AND YOU CAN SEE WHY IN THIS TOWN, IT'S JUST UP AND DOWN, WHISTLE SPEECH MIGHT BE A REAL ADVANTAGE.

IT COULD TAKE A HALF HOUR TO WALK TO ANOTHER PLACE IN TOWN AND CONVEY A MESSAGE THAT YOU CAN DO IN 30 SECONDS WITH WHISTLE SPEECH.

THIS IS MARCELINO'S HOUSE HERE.

AND HE REALLY IS ONE WHO KNOWS BOTH THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND THE WHISTLE LANGUAGE ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU'VE TOLD ME.

HE SAID TO HIM, 'WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TOMORROW NOON?'

THEN REPLIED, 'WELL, NOTHING.'

HE SAYS, 'I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE A NAP.

I'M GOING TO TAKE A NAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.'

AFTER HEARING ALL THIS I HAD TO ASK MARCELINO IF THEY COULD WHISTLE EVERYTHING THEY COULD SAY.

HE SAYS, 'LET'S GO BACK TO TOWN.'

I THINK HE'S HAD ENOUGH OF IT OUT HERE.

HE ALSO SAID THEIR LIPS ARE GETTING TIRED.

THEY'RE NOT ACCUSTOMED TO THE WHISTLING THE WAY THEY USED TO SO IT'S LIKE PLAYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AFTER YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS SO THEIR LIPS ARE GETTING TIRED FROM ALL THE WHISTLING.

BOY, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES HERE IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

WE'VE FOUND THAT OUT SINCE WE GOT HERE.

YEAH, PROBABLY THE WHISTLE SPEECH WAS SO INTEGRATED INTO THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT IT WAS A COMING OF AGE RITE.

WHEN MEN TURNED 18, THEY WOULD HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO WHISTLE AND THEY WOULD BE TESTED.

AND I UNDERSTAND IF THEY COULDN'T PASS THEY GOT FINED WHEN THEY GOT TO MEETINGS.

THEY HAD TO DO IT.

THAT'S ONLY 10 YEARS AGO.

YEAH.

AND WE ALSO FIND THAT ALL THE MEETINGS OF TOWN, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF THEM, WERE SUMMONED BY WHISTLING.

THAT'S CHANGED.

YEAH, THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN YEARS NOW.

IN A SMALL TOWN LIKE SAN PEDRO SOCHIAPAM, ANYTIME THERE'S A WEDDING EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET INVOLVED.

SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO SIT THROUGH A MASS THAT TAKES TWO HOURS BUT EVERYBODY IS GOING TO GO TO THE RECEPTION.

[MUSIC] THE MOST AMAZING PART OF THE WHOLE THING IS HOW THE BRIDE AND GROOM CAN SIT THROUGH THAT TWO HOUR MASS, COME OUT, GET INTO A TRUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS MUD AND LEAVE WITHOUT A TOUCH OF MUD ON THEIR CLOTHING.

[MUSIC] ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT LANGUAGE LOSS IS THAT ONE GENERATION MAY GIVE UP A LANGUAGE ONLY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION TO THEN RE-FIND IT AND REDISCOVER IT AS SOMETHING THAT'S VALUABLE.

THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.

AND SO PART OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS CREATING DOCUMENTATION OF THIS PHENOMENON, OF THE WHISTLED SPEECH.

HOW DOES IT WORK, HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE SPOKEN CHINANTEC AND THEN THESE DOCUMENTS, THESE RECORDINGS, THE TRANSCRIPTIONS THAT WE WRITE IT DOWN WITH CAN BE USED BY ANOTHER GENERATION IF THEY WANT TO BRING IT BACK.

THIS IS THE SAME SENTENCE WHISTLED AND THIS IS THE SAME SENTENCE SPOKEN.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

SO IT'S AS IF THEY'RE USING THE SAME TONE STRUCTURE SPEAKING AND WHISTLING IT.

YEAH.

SO THIS IS THE WHISTLED SPEECH AND THIS IS THE SPOKEN SPEECH AND YOU CAN SEE HOW PARALLEL THEY ARE.

THEY EVEN RISE AND FALL IN THE SAME PLACE AND THE TIMING IS ALL THE SAME.

AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY COUNT THE SYLLABLES CAUSE THEY'RE NOT JUST WHISTLING THE PITCHES, THERE'S THE PITCH, THERE'S HOW MANY SYLLABLES OR THE STRUCTURE OF THE SYLLABLES THAT THERE IS AND THEN THERE'S THE STRESS THAT'S BEING WHISTLED.

BUT THIS REALLY SIMPLIFIES IT AND SHOWS YOU WHY THEY'RE ABLE TO WHISTLE IT BUT ALSO YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY ARE IN FACT WHISTLING THE SPEECH.

EXACTLY, YES.

I MEAN THAT DEMONSTRATES IT.

IN ENGLISH IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I HAVE A DOG, I CAN'T DO IT.

WELL, THAT COULD BE ANYTHING IN THE WORLD.

THAT COULD BE A LOT OF THINGS.

BUT IT CAN'T BE JUST ANYTHING IN THE WORLD IN CHINANTECO.

[NATIVE LANGUAGE/WHISTLING] IT WORKS THIS WELL IN TONAL LANGUAGES LIKE THIS AND CHINANTEC IS VERY TONAL, IT HAS SEVEN DIFFERENT TONES PLUS ALL THESE STRESS CONTRASTS AND EVERYTHING.

THERE'S MORE THAN 20 DIFFERENT MELODIC CONTRASTS THAT ARE BEING WHISTLED HERE.

WHICH WOULD MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PERSON LIKE ME TO LEARN.

IT WOULD MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT.

SO, DAVE, LAST TIME I WAS IN SOCHIAPAM I DID SOME EXPERIMENTS TO TEST HOW WELL WHISTLED SPEECH COULD BE UNDERSTOOD AND IF IT COULD BE USED OUTSIDE OF REGULAR CONTEXT THAT ARE USED OUT IN THE FIELDS HERE.

SO I CREATED A MAP NAVIGATION TASK SO THAT ONE PERSON HAD A MAP AND A COURSE THROUGH THAT MAP AND WITHOUT THE OTHER PERSON SEEING WHAT THEY WERE DOING THEY USED WHISTLES TO NAVIGATE THE OTHER PERSON THROUGH THIS MAP.

GIVING INSTRUCTIONS THEN BY WHISTLING.

AND SO WHAT THIS FILE HAS IS THE TWO VIDEO FILES, THE AUDIO FILE.

I WORKED WITH MARCELINO TO BASICALLY TRANSPOSE THE WHISTLED SPEECH INTO THE SPOKEN CHINANTEC WHICH IT'S BASED ON.

SO HERE YOU HAVE THE SPOKEN CHINANTEC LINE AND THEN THAT'S TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH AND TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.

OH, GOOD.

THIS MAKES UP PART OF THE ARCHIVE THAT I'M DEVELOPING FOR THIS WHISTLED SPEECH.

SO IT WAS RATHER SUCCESSFUL IN THAT THEY STARTED AT ONE PLACE AND THEY GOT TO THE END PLACE MOVING THROUGH THE CITY STREETS.

JUST BY HIM GIVING INSTRUCTIONS BY WHISTLING.

YES.

WHAT I WANT TO DO WHILE WE'RE HERE TODAY IS REPLICATE THIS EXPERIMENT TO SEE IF WE CAN DO IT AGAIN.

AND WITH A DIFFERENT PERSON, TOO.

WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

THERE MIGHT BE A QUESTION OF LITERACY FOR SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS AND SO WE HAVE THE WORDS HERE IN SPANISH BUT WE'RE ALSO PUTTING SOME DRAWINGS.

A CROSS FOR THE CHURCH, SOME FRUIT FOR THE MARKET, A BUS FOR THE BUS STATION SO THAT WE CAN... AND THEN THEN WE'RE GIVING THE STARTING POINT HERE.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO PUT A ROUTE ON ONE OF THESE TO FOLLOW.

THERE'S SOMETHING SYMBOLIC ABOUT THIS TEST BEING DONE ON A PING PONG TABLE WITH THE PARTICIPANTS ONE SITTING ON EACH SIDE OF THE TABLE ON ONE SIDE OF WHERE A NET WOULD BE.

THIS IS A HIGH TECH LINGUISTIC PING PONG TABLE.

SO EACH ONE OF THESE GETS A MAP OF THIS IMAGINARY TOWN.

MARK IS GIVING THE INSTRUCTIONS TO MARCELINO.

THEN MARCELINO'S JOB IS TO WHISTLE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO PEDRO.

[WHISTLING] WHEN HE GOT TO THE END, MARCELINO SAID TO HIM, 'YOU'VE ARRIVED AT THE CORRAL?'

AND HE SAID, 'YES.'

HE SAID, 'AND THERE YOU CAN SEE YOUR HORSE.'

THE DIFFICULTY THAT PEDRO HAD IS A REFLECTION OF SOME OF THE VERY SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE LANGUAGE.

WELL, IMAGINE IN ENGLISH IF YOU AND I ARE DRIVING SOMEWHERE AND YOU SAY, 'DO I WANT TO TURN LEFT HERE?'

AND I SAY, 'RIGHT.'

WELL, I MEAN, YOU DO WANT TO TURN LEFT HERE BUT I SAID RIGHT AND YOU MIGHT INTERPRET THAT TO SAY, 'YOU WANT ME TO TURN RIGHT OR ARE YOU SAYING RIGHT?'

CORRECT.

CORRECT AND WE CAN SAY CORRECT BUT IN WHISTLING IT'S HARD TO CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES.

BUT HE GOT TO THE END AND THAT WAS THE IMPORTANT THING.

[WHISTLING] IT'S LIKE TRYING TO LEARN MUSIC BY EAR.

[WHISTLING] EACH TIME THEY REACH THE END OF WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY IN THEIR LANGUAGE THEY SAY RE AND IN THEIR WHISTLING THEY [WHISTLE].

[NATIVE LANGUAGE/WHISTLING] SO IT'S A VERY LOCALLY DEVELOPED VOCABULARY AND MUSICAL ABILITY INTONATION, VERY CONFUSING AND MARVELOUS.

[NATIVE LANGUAGE/WHISTLING] SO THE PEOPLE FROM THE OTHER TOWN SOUND VERY HARSH AND FOR THE PEOPLE IN SOCHIAPAM, THEIR INTONATION IS VERY SMOOTH AND SWEET.

IT'S LIKE THE FOREIGNERS SPEAK A LANGUAGE IT DOESN'T SOUND GOOD.

[MUSIC] I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE THE UMBRELLAS EVERY DAY BUT THEY MUST HAVE TO CARRY THEM AT THE READY BECAUSE THEY GET 80 TO 100 INCHES OF RAIN, MAYBE THAT MUCH A YEAR HERE.

[DAVID INTERACTING WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN] EVEN AT THIS AGE THEY CAN TAKE WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THE MELODY OF THE LANGUAGE AND PUT IT INTO WHISTLES.

BUT DID YOU NOTICE I THINK THAT ONLY THE LITTLE BOYS ANSWERED.

THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE TALKED TO SAID THAT WOMEN CAN UNDERSTAND IT BUT DON'T DO IT.

YEAH, THAT SOUNDS RIGHT.

SO THERE'S SOME RULE SOMEWHERE THAT SAYS, 'OKAY, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WOMEN DO.'

TRADITIONAL PLACE FOR WOMEN IS IN THE PRIVATE SPACE OF THE HOME AND THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF THE HOME.

THEY ARE THE MASTERS OF THAT BUT YOU FIND THAT IT'S THE MEN THAT GO OUT INTO THE PUBLIC SPACE.

THEY'RE THE ONES WHO...

THERE'D BE NO NEED FOR WHISTLING IN THE HOME CAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT THERE, YOU CAN TALK.

WELL, IT'S AN INTIMATE, IT'S A CLOSE SPACE.

YEAH.

OUT IN PUBLIC YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITIES OF THE TOWN, PEOPLE GO INTO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS TO GO AND WORK AND THE WHISTLING IS USED THERE.

SO IT SEEMS TO BE A PUBLIC/PRIVATE DIVIDE WHICH MAPS ONTO THE GENDER OR WHICH THE GENDER IS MAPPED ONTO.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE A PIED PIPER?

WELL, I FEEL LIKE IF WE WALK INTO THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING WE MIGHT RUN INTO THE POLICE AND HAVE A PROBLEM.

THAT'S RIGHT.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR SOCHIAPAM WHISTLED SPEECH?

I'VE LEARNED IN MY INTERACTION WITH THE COMMUNITY HERE THAT WHISTLED SPEECH HAS GONE FROM SOMETHING WHICH WAS EVERY DAY AND PERVASIVE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND USED ALL THE TIME, WHAT WAS NORMAL, TO NOW BEING SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED RITUAL OR SPECIAL.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU HEAR IN MUCH FEWER CONTEXTS.

IT USED TO BE THAT ALL OF THE POLICE NEEDED TO KNOW WHISTLED SPEECH BECAUSE THAT WAS HOW THEY GOT TOGETHER, THAT WAS HOW THEY RESPONDED TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

THAT'S NOT DONE ANYMORE.

WALKIE TALKIES ARE USED.

PEOPLE USE WATCHES AND WORK ON SCHEDULES RATHER THAN COMING TO TOWN WHEN THEY'RE CALLED BY WHISTLES.

HOW LONG WILL IT BE AROUND?

IT'LL BE AROUND A LITTLE WHILE LONGER AND HOW THE COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO VALUING WHISTLED SPEECH WILL DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S A LONG WHILE OR A LITTLE WHILE.

BUT THE WAY IT LOOKS NOW IT MAY BE GONE IN THIS COMMUNITY WITHIN 10 YEARS.

THE WORK IN SOCHIAPAM WITH WHISTLED SPEECH WAS TO LEARN ABOUT SOME DIFFERENCES THAT A LONG DISTANCE COMMUNICATION LIKE WHISTLED SPEECH HAS WHEN COMPARED TO INTIMATE FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION THAT I NORMALLY STUDY.

WELL, IT'S SURE EASIER ON THE VOCAL CHORDS FOR ONE THING.

YOU CAN WHISTLE MUCH LOUDER AND MUCH... AND MUCH FARTHER THAN YOU CAN WHEN YOU'RE SHOUTING FOR INSTANCE.

THIS WHISTLED SPEECH ALSO HAS SOME THINGS IN IT THAT THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE DOESN'T HAVE.

LIKE IT HAS A LITTLE PARTICLE AT THE END OF EACH SENTENCE THAT MEANS SOMETHING LIKE OVER MEANS IN RADIO COMMUNICATION.

OH, YEAH, THEY ALWAYS GO DOWN AT THE END AND IT MEANS OVER, ROGER.

THAT MEANS, I JUST FINISHED TALKING.

WE'RE RIGHT NOW EXCHANGING GLANCES AND EXCHANGING INFORMATION THROUGH OTHER MEANS, OUR GESTURES, OUR GLANCES AT EACH OTHER AND WE CAN TELL WHEN ONE SENTENCE IS ABOUT TO END AND IT'S TIME FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO TAKE A TURN.

BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT WHEN SOMEBODY'S HALF A KILOMETER AWAY.

THAT MAKES IT A LOT HARDER SO SOMETHING IS TAKING UP THE SLACK IN THE WHISTLE.

SO THE WHISTLED SPEECH HAS THINGS THAT THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE DOESN'T HAVE.

RIGHT.

[WHISTLING] IF YOU WANT TO FIND PEOPLE WHO CAN WHISTLE AS WELL AS TALK, YOU HAVE TO CLIMB THE SLOPES OF THE SIERRA JUAREZ INTO THE DAMP, FOGGY, CLOUDY EASTERN SIDE.

THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND THE LAST WHISTLERS.

[WHISTLING/MUSIC] [DAVE SINGING] ISTANBUL , NOT CONSTANTINOPLE, SO IF YOU'VE A DATE IN CONSTANTINOPLE SHE'LL BE WAITING IN ISTANBUL.

EVEN OLD NEW YORK WAS ONCE NEW AMSTERDAM.

WHY THEY CHANGED IT I CAN'T SAY, PEOPLE JUST LIKED IT BETTER THAT WAY.

TAKE ME BACK TO CONSTANTINOPLE.

NO, YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO CONSTANTINOPLE CAUSE IT'S INSTANBUL NOT CONSTANTINOPLE.

WHY DID CONSTANTINOPLE GET THE WORKS?

THAT'S NOBODY'S BUSINESS BUT THE TURKS.

FUNDING FOR IN THE AMERICAS WITH DAVID YETMAN WAS PROVIDED BY AGNES HAURY.

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