We can subdivide spoken languages into languages into a 2D scatterplot with consonants and vowels on one axis and languages expressed with meter and pitch on the other axis. In practice, all spoken languages use a combination of both but it is possible to communicate with one or the other. For example, English can be communicated with just the consonants and vowels (such as via the Roman alphabet or a bad computer voice synthesizer) whereas Pirahã can be communicated with only the meter and pitch (as in humming and whistling). Whistling can be heard over long distances. Humming helps you keep from being overheard.
symbols drawn with hands on receiver’s skin, received by touch
Chinese people do this for real except the symbol is drawn in the air or on your own hand with a finger.
Chinese is a single written language unifying many different spoken languages. It is not unheard of for Chinese speakers of separate dialects-without-an-army to draw a character on their own hand or in the air (never on the interlocutor’s skin) to disambiguate different words.
symbols gestured with whole body like interpretive dance, but with objective interpretation. Good from a distance, when loud, etc.…
Instead of using your treadmill desk while you type with your hands, you just type with your arms, legs and body in a virtual reality whole-body keyboard space.
This is called “semaphore”. It was used to communicate long distances before the invention of radio.
Piraha is hardly the only language which has a pure-tonal mode; such things are relatively common throughout the tropics, as I understand it. However, as I understand it the tonal modes of these languages tend to be pretty restricted compared to the full modes, since they lose too much information, and can only effectively communicate a limited suite of phrases and messages composed from those phrases.
We can subdivide spoken languages into languages into a 2D scatterplot with consonants and vowels on one axis and languages expressed with meter and pitch on the other axis. In practice, all spoken languages use a combination of both but it is possible to communicate with one or the other. For example, English can be communicated with just the consonants and vowels (such as via the Roman alphabet or a bad computer voice synthesizer) whereas Pirahã can be communicated with only the meter and pitch (as in humming and whistling). Whistling can be heard over long distances. Humming helps you keep from being overheard.
Chinese people do this for real except the symbol is drawn in the air or on your own hand with a finger.
Chinese is a single written language unifying many different spoken languages. It is not unheard of for Chinese speakers of separate dialects-without-an-army to draw a character on their own hand or in the air (never on the interlocutor’s skin) to disambiguate different words.
This is called “semaphore”. It was used to communicate long distances before the invention of radio.
Note that much of the research involving Pirahã is dubious.
Piraha is hardly the only language which has a pure-tonal mode; such things are relatively common throughout the tropics, as I understand it. However, as I understand it the tonal modes of these languages tend to be pretty restricted compared to the full modes, since they lose too much information, and can only effectively communicate a limited suite of phrases and messages composed from those phrases.