In Africa
As well as the Canary Islands, whistled speech occurs in some parts of Southern Africa and Eastern Africa.
Most whistle languages, of which there are several hundred, are based on tonal languages.
Only the tone of the speech is saved in the whistle, things such as articulation and phonation are eliminated. These are replaced by other features such as stress and rhythmical variations. However, some languages, like that of the people of Aas in the Zezuru who speak a Shona-derived dialect, include articulation so that consonants interrupt the flow of the whistle. A similar language is the Tsonga whistle language used in the highlands in the Southern parts of Mozambique.
This should not be confused with the whistled sibilants of Shona.
Read more about this topic: Whistled Language
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