Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal 3

Journal #3: Step 1-research a prominent figure from the Harlem Renaissance and write a short summary of who they are. Step 2-make a list of rules for a dialect of your creation (at least 3 for each category: pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary). Step 3-pick a setting and create a dialogue between your historical figure and your imaginative figure using at least seven exchanges and correctly punctuated speaker tags.

Louis Armstrong 

A jazz musician born in New Orleans, Louis Armstrong was one of the single greatest influences on jazz music from the 1920's onward. As both a singer and trumpet player he rose to prominence in Chicago's jazz scene through his inventive, improvised solos that began to shift jazz as a whole to focus on individual talent and creativity. Touring in New York, Chicago and New Orleans, Louis became one of the leading figures in jazz, finding success with both white and black audiences. After the end of the Harlem Renaissance he continued his musical career through the 1960's, recording his most popular works which he is known for today, such as "What a Wonderful World".

Dialect Rules

Pronunciation:
D- changes to Th- (Down - Thown)
-at changes to -ut (What - Whut)
In most cases S changes to Z (This - Thiz)

Grammar:
Refer to self in third person
"and" is unused (replaced by a comma)
No use of past tense

Vocabulary:
Hotzide - down, below ground
Coldzide - up, above ground
Nobbing - eating

Louis Armstrong walked down the dimly lit alley with his trumpet case tucked securely under one arm. He entered a low doorway to his left, believing it to be the house of a band mate who had offered a bed and  hot meal. Instead, the door led to stairs and a dark cellar from which a dull crunching noise emanated. Unsure of what could be making such a noise, Louis called out,
"Hello, anyone there?" To his surprise, a deep, rumbling voice returned his inquiry from the dark,
"Juzt Thragg, zitting, nobbing."  
"Nobbing?" asked Louie, the crunching had ceased and Louis could begin to make out a small and oddly proportioned figure squatting in the corner of the cellar.
"Yez, nobbing a rut" Thragg answered.
"What are you?" asked Louie in fascination, "Are you alone?"
"Thragg iz Thwarfz. Throgg, Thrup went hotzide to thig. Thragg come coldzide to nobb." grumbled Thragg. As his eyes adjusted, Louis made out a gaping hole in the wall near Thragg's position.
"Did you make that?" Louis inquired, gesturing in the hole's general direction.
"Yez, Thragg thig thuring thay, nobb at night." Thragg replied, and then with sudden interest called out to Louis "Whut are you thoing here? Only Thragg comez here."
"I'm Louis, I just took a wrong turn down an alley." said Louis warily, he could now see Thragg's eyes hungrily staring at him from the darkness.
"Thragg hungry, Louiz have zomething thut Thragg can nob?" said Thragg.
"Not unless you like cold metal trumpets for dinner." Louis answered with a nervous chuckle, Thragg had stood began slowly shuffling toward him.
"Thragg like metal very much, find it hotzide, give Tragg thut trumpet to nobb" Thragg said as continued his uneven advance toward Louis.
"No, I need this, and I best be going now." Louis did not wait for a response, quickly exiting the door and walking briskly out the alley.