whistling

Whistling is familiar as the production of a series of high-pitched sounds that form a simple melody or tuneful sequence. Together with humming it may be presumed to be the simplest form of music making, in particular for self amusement, and as such revealing the emotional state of mind of the whistler. The sound of the human whistle, like that in the most primitive instrumental forms — a whistle fashioned from a hollow tube of wood or straw — is made by the turbulence generated in an airstream at the narrow orifice formed by pursing the lips. The pitch and harmonic content of the sound is modulated by the relative position and shape of the tongue and its relation to the lower teeth. And for a particularly loud whistle used as a call, the lips are braced firmly against the teeth, and the tongue deeply arched so that airflow is directed across the sharp edges of the teeth and through the narrow, stiffened aperture at the lips. Unlike vocalization, the whistle is generated by inspiratory as well expiratory flows of air, allowing legato-like sounds to be produced without interruption.

Whistling appears to be a male-dominated activity, perhaps deriving from ancient forms of the ‘wolf whistle’ denoting sexual attraction; this is just one example of the use of the whistle as a call sign, with its obvious links to ancestral ‘call’ signals in lower species, and its ‘imitative’ value in hunting or for summoning a trained hound. The whistling of an improvised or familiar tune by a contented man or woman at work, even of the Seven Dwarfs who proclaim ‘we whistle while we work’, can be contrasted to the variety of other whistles, expressing incredulity, surprise, or appreciation. The latter communicate information about the emotional state solely through the sound pattern, while the former carry the additional symbolic meaning relating to the words in the whistled song, thus encompassing both the mental and the emotional life of the whistler.

— Tom Sears

See also singing; speech.

Regarded as at least unwise and unlucky in a number of professions, including sailors who maintain that it conjures up a wind, miners, and actors. This latter has been rationalized by some as the fact that in old theatres certain sounds carry so readily that anyone whistling backstage can ruin a performance. However, many less logical reports state that whistling in the dressing-room causes the person nearest the door to be ill or sacked. Anyone guilty of whistling has to go outside and turn round three times and, in some cases, cannot come back into the dressing-room until invited to return (reported since 1910). Whistling after dark, in any situation, has been regarded as unwise since at least the beginning of the 18th century. Often no particular reason is given, but it is probably again based on the idea that whistling summons spirits or draws attention to oneself. Similarly, whistling should be particularly avoided by women; it was typically a skill with which men and boys entertained themselves, so a woman or girl attempting it would be labelled unfeminine. The rhyme quoted to reinforce this has a constant first but varied second line:

A whistling woman and a crowing hen
Is enough to make the Devil come out of his den

Versions of this rhyme have been regularly reported from all over Britain since at least 1721.

See also SEAFARING CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 440-2
• Roud, 2003: 518-9

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