Monday, December 21, 2009

Tango is a feeling

The origin of the word «tango». Tango music is a feeling and historic testimony of Buenos Aires' citizen's culture. Tango, that often heard and yet mysterious word. Tango's voice can be found in African, Hispanic, and colonial cultures.

Much has been studied about its origin, and although historians and investigators have researched and have entered in heated discussions, the mystery of its origin remains unrevealed.

The word TANGO 's etymological definition has contradictions, some say it comes from African dialects, for example, "Tang" would mean "touch, get close to..", among the Bantus, there are two dialects, one "Tanga" and the other "Tangui". In Spanish, the word Tango is similar to the African "Tang" in its definition of the old Spanish word "Tangir" ot "Tañir", and in Latin "Tangere", meaning "Touch".

The slaves brought it to the River Plate from the "black" continent called their percussion instruments "Tangó", accenting the last syllable.

The word Tango appears in the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) in the mid XVIIIth century, and was the name given to a House and Place of Tango, located on a lot belonging to the Concepción (neighborhood) Parish.

Read more on Buenos Aires Times.

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