A whistled language in Turkey Intermediate shadowing lesson
This VOA Learning English report is about a whistled language, also called the bird language, used in a mountain area of Turkey. UNESCO says fewer and fewer people use it. The voice is clear, and the longer sentences with words about culture and communication are good shadowing practice for intermediate learners.
- Intermediate
- Audio
- 2:26
- 13 sentences
Free, no account needed. The app plays one sentence and waits for you to say it.
The sentences
The United Nations is calling for urgent action to protect a whistled language used in a mountainous area of Turkey.
The UN's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has identified the bird language as an endangered cultural heritage.
UNESCO noted that technological developments, as well as social and economic changes, have led to a drop in the number of people who communicate in this way.
It also noted a drop in the number of areas where the language is spoken.
The UN agency placed much of the blame on the use of mobile phones.
A whistled language is a highly developed method of communication.
People use whistling sounds in place of words.
The language was created as a way to communicate across great distances in difficult mountain conditions.
Most whistling sounds are created by blowing air through the lips and teeth.
Sometimes fingers and the tongue are also used to make different or louder sounds.
To communicate, people use whistling to simulate or create the sound of some words.
They also use sound patterns, repeating certain sounds to represent other common words and expressions.
New words and terms can be added to keep up with changes in spoken language and cultural life.
Words and phrases
- urgent action
- something that must be done very soon
- whistled language
- a way of talking by whistling instead of using words
- endangered
- in danger of disappearing
- cultural heritage
- traditions and culture passed down from the past
- placed much of the blame on
- said that something was the main cause of a problem
- in place of
- instead of
- simulate
- copy or imitate
- keep up with
- change as fast as something else changes
How to practise this clip
Listen for where the speaker breaks the longer sentences into groups of words, such as the full name of UNESCO, and which words get the most stress.
- Listen to a sentence before you read it.
- Say it right after, at the speaker's pace, with the same pauses.
- After the first round, hide the text and practise from the sound alone.
Source
VOA Learning English (Voice of America), Bryan Lynn, public domain