Whistled language of Aas
{{Short description|Whistled speech variation of Occitan, practiced in the Aas village, France}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Whistled language of Aas
| altname = {{lang|oc|siular d'Aas}}
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| acceptance =
| image = Siffleurs.JPG
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| imagecaption = Plaque on the church in Aas illustrating a person whistling
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| states = France
| region = Aas, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
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| extinct = 1999, with the death of Anne Pallas
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| revived = >10 revivalists
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| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = Italic
| fam3 = Latino-Faliscan
| fam4 = Romance
| fam5 = Italo-Western
| fam6 = Western
| fam7 = Gallo-Romance
| fam8 = Occitano-Romance
| fam9 = Occitan
| fam10 = Gascon
| fam11 = Béarnese
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| isoexception = dialect
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| glotto = none
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| aiatsis =
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| coordinates = {{Coord|42|59|N|0|24|W|region:FR-64}}
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The whistled language of Aas (in French: {{lang|fr|langage sifflé d'Aas}}, {{lang|fr|occitan sifflé d'Aas}}; in Occitan: {{lang|oc|siular d'Aas}}) is a whistled language used in the Pyrennees village of Aas, located in the Béarn area of southern France. Local pastoral activities and shepherd
History
The use of the language was first documented in the 15th century.
The local topography, notably including deep valleys, allows for quality sound transmission, with a usable range of over {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=off}}. The inhabitants of the area therefore began using a whistled transposition of the Gascon dialect of the Occitan language as a means of communicating between the pastures and the village, or from one part of a valley to another.{{cite web |title=Les siffleurs du village d'Aas - La chronique d'Aliette de Laleu | website=YouTube | date=10 April 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6UHGE6MYT4 |access-date=15 November 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU6UHGE6MYT4 |archive-date=14 October 2024 |language=fr}}{{cite web |title=1987 : La langue sifflée de la Vallée d'Aas | date=26 June 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6iesNH-s0k |publisher=Archive INA |access-date=15 November 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dk6iesNH-s0k |archive-date=19 July 2023 |language=fr}}
After being informed of the practice, {{interlanguage link|René-Guy Busnel|fr}}, acoustician and {{lang|fr|directeur d'études}} (university educator) at the École pratique des hautes études,{{cite web |title=René-Guy Busnel |url=https://prosopo.ephe.psl.eu/ren%C3%A9-guy-busnel |website=prosopo.ephe.psl.eu |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprosopo.ephe.psl.eu%2Fren%25C3%25A9-guy-busnel |archive-date=18 May 2024 |language=fr}} documented the whistled language in 1950.{{cite news |last1=Faure |first1=Jean-Marc |title=Le langage sifflé d'Aas désormais enseigné à l'université de Pau |url=http://www.larepubliquedespyrenees.fr/2015/10/08/le-langage-siffle-d-aas-desormais-enseigne-a-l-universite-de-pau,1280673.php |work=La République des Pyrénées |date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.larepubliquedespyrenees.fr%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fle-langage-siffle-d-aas-desormais-enseigne-a-l-universite-de-pau%2C1280673.php |archive-date=5 November 2017 |language=fr}} The natural use of the language in the Ossau Valley ceased toward the end of the 20th century as the agricultural lifestyle disappeared along with the passing of the final remaining goatherds who used the language. Anne Pallas, the last historical user of the language, died in 1999.{{sfn | Biu | 2018 | p= 199 }}
Phonology and transmission
The language is articulated around four vowels (i, e, à, o) and four consonants (ke, ye, che, ge). The language was transmitted from generation to generation, however, rural flight and the adoption of new communication techniques caused this transmission to cease.
Revitalisation
The cultural heritage status of the language and regrets over its disappearance brought several local Béarnese language activists to contribute to revitalisation efforts. Participants travelled to La Gomera in the Canary Islands to learn from 'master whistlers' of Silbo Gomero. An association titled {{lang|oc|Lo siular d'Aas}}, led by Philippe Biu and containing over ten members, is working to revive the language. The University of Pau and the Adour Region (UPPA) offers a class taught by Philippe Biu. The {{lang|oc|Lo siular d'Aas}} association, the regional council, the UPPA and the middle school ({{lang|fr|collège}}) in Laruns support the preservation of the language with bilingual classes taught in French and Occitan.
Documentation
Research projects and a digital content repository have been discussed.
{{listen |filename=LL-Q117707514 (oci-whistled)-Univòc64-Aas.wav |title=Example audio file |description='Aas' being whistled in the language}}
In 2024, audio recordings of the language were released for the first time in open access and under a free license through a collaboration between the University of Toulouse and Wikimedia projects, notably the Lingua Libre project run by Wikimédia France.{{cite web |title=L'occitan sifflé enregistré pour la première fois en Open Access |url=https://urfist.univ-toulouse.fr/actualite/2023-12-19/loccitan-siffle-enregistre-pour-la-premiere-fois-en-open-access |website=urfist.univ-toulouse.fr |publisher=Unité Régionale de Formation à l'information Scientifique et Technique Occitanie |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furfist.univ-toulouse.fr%2Factualite%2F2023-12-19%2Floccitan-siffle-enregistre-pour-la-premiere-fois-en-open-access |archive-date=16 September 2024 |language=fr}} In the same year, a temporary exhibition titled {{lang|fr|Siffler le gascon, histoire d'une renaissance}} (Whistling Gascon, history of a renaissance) took place at Anglet.{{cite web |title=Siffler le gascon, histoire d'une renaissance |url=https://www.anglet.fr/sorties/agendas/detail-dun-agenda/actualites/siffler-le-gascon-histoire-dune-renaissance/ |website=Anglet.fr |date=30 April 2024 |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.anglet.fr%2Fsorties%2Fagendas%2Fdetail-dun-agenda%2Factualites%2Fsiffler-le-gascon-histoire-dune-renaissance%2F |archive-date=26 September 2024 |language=fr}} An interactive map created for the exhibition allowed guests to explore the Occitan area and hear the names of villages in the whistled language.{{cite conference |url=https://hal.science/hal-04628915v1 |title=Adiu ! Quand l'union des communs fait la force du patrimoine immatériel |first1=Hugo Pierre |last1=Lopez |first2=Delphine |last2=Montagne |author= |author-link= |date=28 June 2024 |conference=State of the Map France 2024 |conference-url= |editor= |volume= |edition= |book-title= |publisher= |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhal.science%2Fhal-04628915 |archive-date=27 December 2024 |location= |pages= |format= |id= |isbn= |bibcode= |oclc= |doi= |access-date=3 July 2024 |quote= |language=fr |page= |at= |trans-title=}}{{cite web |last1=Lopez |first1=Hugo |last2=Montagne |first2=Delphine |last3=Biu |first3=Philippe |title=Mapa interactiva amb los noms dels vilatges occitans e lor prononciacion en occitan siflat |url=https://hugolpz.github.io/NamesOfTheLand/ |website=Github |access-date=3 July 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhugolpz.github.io%2FNamesOfTheLand%2F |archive-date=27 December 2024 |language=oc |date=28 April 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{interlanguage link|René Arripe|fr}}, {{lang|fr|Les siffleurs d'Aas}}, 1984, Imprimerie de la Monnaie, Pau.
- {{cite book |last1=Biu |first1=Philippe |title=Hizkuntzak, Ondarea eta Identitateak. Hezkuntza ikuspegia / Lengas, patrimòni e identitats. Perspectiva educativa / Lenguas, patrimonio e identidades. Perspectiva educativa / Langues, patrimoine et identités. Perspective éducative / Languages, Heritage and Identities. An Educational Perspective |date=2018 |publisher=Delta Publicaciones ADDI (Universidad del Pais Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea) |isbn=978-84-17526-15-3 |pages=199–209 |url=https://univ-pau.hal.science/hal-02179813v1 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Funiv-pau.hal.science%2Fhal-02179813 |archive-date=27 December 2024 |language=fr |chapter=L'enseignement de l'occitan sifflé : bilan et perspectives}}
- {{lang|fr|Les bergers siffleurs d’Aas}}, in Pyrénées Magazine, 84, November-December 2002.
External links
{{commons|Category:Occitan whistling language}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AymnVY_xXPg France, A whistled language] -- Via Youtube
{{Romance languages}}
{{Occitano-Romance languages and dialects}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aas whistled}}