# Are there any languages that could not be understood if whispered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407 "2012-04-10T21:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/1 "2012-04-10T21:25:23Z")
Are there any languages that cannot be whispered comprehensibly? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/2 "2012-04-10T21:49:33Z")
I don’t know, but African click languages seem like a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/3 "2012-04-10T21:50:25Z")
I’d be interested to know whether tonal languages can be whispered clearly. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/4 "2012-04-10T22:11:00Z")
Voiced vs. unvoiced consonant pairs is probably one phonemic contrast that is found to one degree or another in almost all languages. Whispering will make THOSE phonemes a bit ambiguous, but context almost always makes things clear (we fail to make all kinds of other contrasts in normal speech which are actually present in the language, and understand each other fine). I doubt that languages which happen to, in addition, use tone for vowel phonemic contrasts, or have clicks in their consonant inventory, will be any more or less likely to suffer from unusual ambiguity or clarity when whispered – they have some voiced/unvoiced contrasting pairs too, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/5 "2012-04-11T01:40:42Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’d be interested to know whether tonal languages can be whispered clearly. I can’t speak for Thai or Tibetan, but Chinese is definately a lot harder for me to understand when whispered. The game isn’t called Chinese whispers for nothing ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/6 "2012-04-11T03:39:26Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > The game isn’t called Chinese whispers for nothing And which game would that be? Joe ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/7 "2012-04-11T03:52:17Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > And which game would that be? > > Joe i think he said Lychee Twisters? Possibly relevant: my Chinese friends tell me they don’t really understand the lyrics of canto-pop songs unless they’re really obvious from context (e.g. “I love you baby”) due to the music’s imposition of its own tone onto the syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/8 "2012-04-11T03:53:07Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > And which game would that be? Okay, I forgot this was an international board… Chinese whispers is a game where a group of people get in a circle, someone starts by whispering a phrase or word (in English) to the person next to them, and that next person quietly relays it on and so on. By the time the message gets back to the original person, it is often greatly distorted. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/9 "2012-04-11T04:01:45Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Okay, I forgot this was an international board… Chinese whispers is a game where a group of people get in a circle, someone starts by whispering a phrase or word (in English) to the person next to them, and that next person quietly relays it on and so on. By the time the message gets back to the original person, it is often greatly distorted. Ah. I know of that phenomenon, but have never heard of it framed as a game… Joe ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/10 "2012-04-11T04:06:24Z")
I know that as Telephone. (The incident that sparked this question was actually a whispered conversation I overheard between two speakers of some dialect of Chinese (I do not know which one). It struck me that I had heard that Chinese, or at least some forms of it, had tonal elements, and I wondered how difficult their communication was.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/11 "2012-04-11T04:08:50Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Okay, I forgot this was an international board… Chinese whispers is a game where a group of people get in a circle, someone starts by whispering a phrase or word (in English) to the person next to them, and that next person quietly relays it on and so on. By the time the message gets back to the original person, it is often greatly distorted. But if they whisper the phrase in English, why would that tell us anything about whispered Chinese? ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/12 "2012-04-11T05:20:12Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Ah. I know of that phenomenon, but have never heard of it framed as a game… Well, it’s non-competitive and relies on the cooperation of all participants, so some might not class that as a game. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > I know that as Telephone. What country/state do you live in? I’m British/Aussie. > [@](#): > > (The incident that sparked this question was actually a whispered conversation I overheard between two speakers of some dialect of Chinese (I do not know which one). It struck me that I had heard that Chinese, or at least some forms of it, had tonal elements, and I wondered how difficult their communication was.) You know, I have literally thousands of Chinese friends online, so I’ll go and ask them. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > But if they whisper the phrase in English, why would that tell us anything about whispered Chinese? Yes, but at least it shows an attitude (justified or otherwise) towards the Chinese language. **Checks Wikipedia** Oh! other countries call it “Russian scandal” and “Arab phone”, so I guess it’s more a case of Chinese being an incomprehencible language to most British people. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/13 "2012-04-11T05:42:15Z")
Hmm. As a native speaker of both, I can’t say I agree that whispered Chinese (at least Mandarin) is any more difficult than whispered English. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/14 "2012-04-11T05:46:21Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > The game isn’t called Chinese whispers for nothing Johnny and the Mothers are playing Stompin’ at the Savoy in Vermont tonight?! ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/15 "2012-04-11T06:08:03Z")
ASL can’t be whispered. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/16 "2012-04-11T06:12:04Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Hmm. As a native speaker of both, I can’t say I agree that whispered Chinese (at least Mandarin) is any more difficult than whispered English. I stand corrected > [@etv78](#): > > ASL can’t be whispered. You win the internet ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/17 "2012-04-11T06:47:01Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > I stand corrected It’s just one perspective; others may disagree 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/18 "2012-04-11T09:19:04Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Okay, I forgot this was an international board… Chinese whispers is a game where a group of people get in a circle, someone starts by whispering a phrase or word (in English) to the person next to them, and that next person quietly relays it on and so on. By the time the message gets back to the original person, it is often greatly distorted. Here in America I’ve always heard that game called “Telephone” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/19 "2012-04-11T10:35:49Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > ASL can’t be whispered. Actually I’m sure I read somewhere (quite possibly on the SDMB) that ASL does have the equivalents of whispering and shouting - using small restrained gestures or big expansive ones as appropriate. Or did I make that up? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407/20 "2012-04-11T12:23:25Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Actually I’m sure I read somewhere (quite possibly on the SDMB) that ASL does have the equivalents of whispering and shouting - using small restrained gestures or big expansive ones as appropriate. Or did I make that up? True, according to John McWhorter in “The Power of Babel”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-languages-that-could-not-be-understood-if-whispered/618407.md?page=2)