The Sound Labyrinth: Computers, Constructionism and Language Learning

Abstract

This contribution presents The Sound Labyrinth, which is an application software that was designed to support the learning and safeguard of Silbo Gomero, a whistled from of language. Once used by the islanders of La Gomera, this unique form of communication has been revived, shifting from the fields where it was once used by agricultural laborers and into the space of the classroom. Here, it has integrated the school curriculum, providing children with a unique opportunity to engage with local intangible heritage. As a response to this transformation, the island's educational community has identified a new challenge: the need to develop didactic materials that resonate with the generational interests of local children. Drawing on the work Papert, Bamberger, amongst others, this contribution presents and discusses the application software that was designed in response to this challenge. Pushing the boundaries of constructionism, this contribution equally demonstrates how software might contribute to the domain of linguistic heritage.