Scribd
Upload
12 views

DY3 Basic Reading U4

Uploaded by

Ana belen Raya lendinez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
12 views

DY3 Basic Reading U4

Uploaded by

Ana belen Raya lendinez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Reading Unit 4

A fascinating way to communicate


1 Read the text. Match headings 1–4 to
paragraphs A–D.
1 Who speaks the language now? ___
2 Are there any similar languages? ___
3 What is Gomeran whistle? ___
4 What are its origins? ___

2 Match the definitions to the underlined words in


the text.
1 make a sound by blowing through your lips
A or teeth _____________
2 very old _____________
Gomeran whistle, or Silbo Gomero, is a language 3 as a substitute for _____________
from the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. 4 very distant _____________
It uses whistles instead of words and has six 5 day-to-day _____________
sounds – two vowels and four consonants.

B 3 Complete the sentences with words from


the text.
Nobody knows exactly when the language started, 1 People used the language to communicate over
but we know that it is ancient. Gomera is a very long distances because Gomera is
mountainous island, and people used the language _______________________________________
to communicate over long distances. The sound of 2 Whistling was a quick way to send a message
the whistles can travel for several kilometres, so because the sound can ___________________
whistling was the quickest way to send a message. _______________________________________
3 Gomeran whistle is very important to the
_______________________________________
4 Greece, Turkey and France also have
_______________________________________

4 Answer the questions.


1 How many sounds does Gomeran whistle have?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
C 2 Which organization protects the language?
Today, not many people use the language for _______________________________________
everyday communication. However, it is a very _______________________________________
important part of the culture of the island and it is 3 When did it become obligatory to learn Gomeran
protected by UNESCO. Gomeran whistle has been whistle at school?
a compulsory subject at school since the 1990s and _______________________________________
some people also learn it from their parents. _______________________________________

There are other whistling languages around the


world, usually in remote areas with lots of
mountains. In Europe, there are whistling languages
in Greece, Turkey and the French Pyrenees.
However, the Gomeran language has the biggest
community of speakers.

You might also like