Romani language

What language do Gypsies speak? Are gypsies from Romania? Romani is an Indo-Aryan language that is part of the Balkan sprachbund.

Romani is sometimes classified in the Central Zone or Northwestern Zone Indo-Aryan languages , and sometimes treated as a group of its own. The largest concetrations of Roma people live in Turkey, Spain and Romania.

In English these people are often called Gypsies. The Indo-Aryan Romani language should not be confused with either Romanian (spoken by Romanians), or Romansh (spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland), both of which are Romance languages. These languages belong to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family and are the only Indo-Aryan languages spoken exclusively outside the Indian subcontinent. The Romani language has for most of its history been an entirely oral language , with no written form in common use.

Earlier generations of British Gypsies spoke a dialect of Romani that was closely related to the Romani dialects of continental Europe. A course for adults and young people, suitable for being used by everybody, no matter the academic level. Romanian) is a Balkan Romance language spoken by approximately 24–million people as a native language , primarily in Romania and Moldova, and by another million people as a second language.

Vlax Romani varieties are spoken mainly in Southeastern Europe by Romani people.

Where did Romani come from? Is there a standard Romani ? Which dialects are most widespread? Mullered - colloquial, from the Romani muller meaning dead or killed. A collection of useful phrases in Romani , an Indo-Aryan language spoken in many parts of Europe.

Romani is the only Indo-Aryan language that has been spoken exclusively in Europe since the middle ages and whose vocabulary and grammar are related to Sanskrit. Many Romani people are bilingual and can speak two or more languages. Each June, Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month is celebrated in London. It is of the Indo-Aryan branch. Romani has been recognized as a minority language in some places, but it is only considered an official language in the Republic of Kosovo and the Municipality of Shuto Orizari in Monaco.

In Sweden, Scandoromani is referred to as resande rommani (Traveller Romani ) or svensk rommani (Swedish Romani ), while in Norway the same language is known as norsk romani (Norwegian Romani ). Like Angloromani in Britain and Caló in Spain, Scandoromani draws upon a (now extinct) vocabulary of inflected Romani. These are words in the English language which come from Romani. Everyday Language up Bibliography and further reading.

Romanian language, also spelled (formerly) Rumanian, Romanian limba română, Romance language spoken primarily in Romania and Moldova. Romanian is a Romance language , belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, having much in common with languages such as French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

However, the languages closest to Romanian are the other Balkan Romance languages, spoken south of the Danube: Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Istro-Romanian. Speakers of the Romani language usually refer to their language as řomani čhib “the Romani language ” or řomanes “in a Rom way”. This derives from the Romani word řom, meaning either “a member of the (Romani) group” or “husband”. Over time, the Romani language differentiated into several dialects that have been influenced by local languages. According to researchers, however, the basic vocabulary has remained almost unchanged in different dialects.

It was spoken by the Kale group of the Romani people who arrived in Britain during the 16th century. The first record of Romani moving permanently into Wales comes from the 18th century. Romany is also spelled Romani , or Rommany.