Strategic Planning Assumption: Jive As A Language Has Its Beginnings With The Xocó Language of Brazil ( Probability .29)

Recommended soundtrack: "Salt Peanuts" by Dizzy Gillespie

Jive Talk Sweeps Copacabana After Fabled Night with Anthropologists

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1929) - The latest lingo to hit the hip cats and swinging socialites of Rio's hotspots like Copacabana can be traced back to a legendary night when renowned folklorist Zora Neale Hurston and her partner in crime, the mysterious Yara Steinway, were laying down some jive with none other than the Hi-de-ho master himself, Cab Calloway.

Sources close to the action recall Hurston and Yara, a feisty Brazilian anthropologist of German descent, were traveling through Brazil's northeast region documenting the indigenous Xokó tribe's unique language and traditions. The two anthropologist dames hit it off discussing a crazy word list they had transcribed from the Xokó elders in a remote village along the Piancó River.

"Cab was swinging through on his tour of South America that year," said one alleycat who was hepcat enough to be there that historic night. "He was digging the jive those two gorgeous intellects were laying down - the way those Xokó words just rolled off their tongues with that funky, staccato rhythm."

As the story goes, Calloway couldn't resist trying a little scat and improvising some jive himself based on those indigenous tongue-twisters like "šualya" (raindrops), "seːya" (young lady), and "àòšˈínòʔ ìnˈísìà sˈèdàià" (light my smokey). The trio was knocking back caipirinhas and Cals, riffing up a storm into the wee hours.

"Those three cats were cooking, translating phrases back and forth, putting a little swing into it. Zora and Yara were grooving hard on Cab's hipster interpretations," recalled the source. "Before you knew it, they had cooked up an entire jive dictionary - a kind of Rosetta Stone for talking that far-out slanguage."

Word is that renegade document, covering jive from A to Z, got lost somewhere in the dizzyingclub scene of late-1920s Rio. But copies must have slipped out, because just months later, jive started spreading through Brazil's urban spaces like Pelourinho in Salvador, making its way up to Harlem and setting the stage for that whole scene in the 30s and 40s.

"Zora, Yara, and Cab - they were really the ones who brought jive into this world from those indigenous roots," said the source with a misty look. "Just a trio of hepcats, digging on the deep crazy beauty of language that night. The rest is history."

So while the original "jive Rosetta Stone" has been lost to the winds, its impact still gets felt everywhere jive survives today - in comedy, music, and everyday speech. Wherever fun-crazed youths and swinging individualists gather to cook up wild words and lay down that hepcat jargon, the spirits of Hurston, Steinway, and Calloway are there - swinging, riffing and translating right along with them.

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ive is an African-American vernacular English that emerged in the early 20th century, primarily among urban Black communities. It is characterized by its distinctive vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical structures.

Origins and Founders:

While the exact origins of Jive are debated, it is widely believed to have evolved from various African-American English dialects, particularly those spoken in Harlem, New York, and other urban centers. Jive incorporates elements from different African languages, as well as borrowings from other languages spoken by immigrant communities in these urban areas.

One of the earliest documented uses of the term "jive" can be traced back to the 1930s, when it was used to describe the lively and exaggerated speech patterns of jazz musicians, comedians, and entertainers within the African-American community.

Earliest Known Users and Stories:

Some of the earliest known users and popularizers of Jive include:

Cab Calloway (1907-1994): A famous jazz singer and bandleader, Calloway was known for his eccentric scat singing and use of Jive slang in his performances.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960): An influential author and anthropologist, Hurston documented and celebrated African-American folklore, including Jive expressions, in her literary works.

Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993): A renowned jazz musician, Gillespie is credited with coining and popularizing several Jive terms, such as "salt peanuts" and "wig bread."

Creation Stories:

While there is no definitive creation story for Jive, it is believed to have emerged organically as a means of communication, self-expression, and cultural identity among African-American communities. Jive allowed for the development of a shared language that represented the experiences, struggles, and resilience of Black people in urban environments.

Some scholars suggest that Jive may have originated as a form of coded language, allowing African Americans to communicate with each other while obscuring the meaning from outsiders, particularly during times of oppression and discrimination.

Uses

Jive served multiple functions within African-American communities:

Communication

It facilitated communication and camaraderie among members of the community, fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity.

Artistic Expression

Jive was heavily utilized in various art forms, such as music (jazz, blues, and hip-hop), literature, and stand-up comedy, providing a unique and vibrant means of artistic expression.

Cultural Resistance

Jive represented a form of cultural resistance and defiance against mainstream societal norms, allowing African Americans to assert their identity and challenge oppressive systems.

Linguistic Innovation

Jive contributed to the expansion and evolution of the English language, introducing new words, phrases, and grammatical structures that reflected the experiences and perspectives of African-American communities.

While Jive reached its peak popularity in the mid-20th century, its influence can still be seen in contemporary African-American culture, particularly in hip-hop music and urban slang. It remains an important part of the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of African Americans.

Ramon Steinway