In the early days jokes were not told openly and, if there were people of the opposite sex present, they were told in whispers.<\/p>\n
To designate these stories, at first obscene ones, the word chiste<\/strong> was used, derived from the verb chistar<\/strong>. Chistar <\/strong>meant \u201cto whisper, to speak in a low voice\u201d or also \u201cto utter a sound with the intention of speaking\u201d. Chistar <\/strong>is an onomatopoeic form that comes from the sound sst <\/em>or chst<\/em>, used to ask people to be quiet. The first appearance of chiste <\/strong>was in the 13th century used by Gonzalo de Berceo, in the form chista.<\/strong> From the context, we can tell that it referred to obscene stories:<\/p>\n Mostrad el Pater Noster a vuestras creaturas.\u00a0 (Teach Our Lord’s Prayer to your children) Nos vemos prontito.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the early days jokes were not told openly and, if there were people of the opposite sex present, they were told in whispers. To designate these stories, at first obscene ones, the word chiste was used, derived from the verb chistar. Chistar meant \u201cto whisper, to speak in a low voice\u201d or also \u201cto…<\/p>\n
\nCastigad que lo digan yendo por las pasturas, (Punish them to say it over the fields)
\nMas vale digan esso, que chistas e locuras, (It’s better for them to say it instead of jokes or nonsense)
\nCa suelen tales mozos fablar muchas orruras (Because the words of such young lads are often vulgar)<\/p>\n