Romani varietiesand educational materials

Peter Bakker

Aarhus University

Institute for Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics

Romani

• Romani is the biggest minority language in Europe

• The language forms a ”unity in diversity”: a range of dialects with a common core

• Just like any other natural language it is not homogeneous

• Unlike many other European languages, there is no standard written language

Language education

• Since a UNESCO report in the 1950s there is a consensus that the best way towards literacy is the mother tongue

• Ideally, Roma children first learn to read and write in their own variety

• and later in the state language• And other Romani varieties and foreign languages• Teaching the mother tongue will enhance

acquisition of the dominant language (!)

Romani varieties in Estonia

• Linguist classify dialects into groupings – On the basis of shared linguistic features (common words, common structures)

• Roma classify dialects– On the basis of linguistic and other features

• The labels/names used by Roma are not always the same as the ones used by linguists

Linguists...

• Compare Romani dialects to find out:– Which words and construction they ALL have

in common– Which words and constructions SOME have

in common– How and when these words and constructions

entered the language or the varieties– Result: a map of migrations

Names of subgroups

• Based on (former) occupation– Lovari < Hungarian lo ”horse”– Kalderash < Roumanian câldâr ”kettle”

• Based on country/region– Olah/Vlah ”Roumania”– Serbika ”Serbia”– Rom-ungro ”Hungary”

• Estonia:

Estonia: Romani dialects

• (Laiuse: probably extinct since 1945)

• North Russian Romani/Xaladytka

• Cuxny/Lotfiko

• Branches: Baltic Romani (no

Latvia

• An early primer in Cyrillic writing by Leksa Manush

Fiction/poetry/literature

• An epic poem in Romani (and Latvian)

Latvia

• A much fancier primer/ABC book (1996)

in Roman letters

On-line dictionaries

• ROMLEX

• http://romani.kfunigraz.ac.at/romlex/dialects.xml

ROMLEX I

• North Russian Romani

• North Russian Romani belongs to the Northeastern dialect group. Varieties of North Russian Romani are spoken in the Baltic-North Russian-Poland area. Another name often used to refer to North Russian Romani varieties is Xaladitka.

ROMLEX II

• Lithuanian Romani• Lithuanian Romani belongs to the Northeastern

dialect group. Historically Lithuanian Romani was spoken on the territory of present-day Lithuania. Today the dialect is spoken by a relatively small population of speakers living in Lithuania and in Baltic Russia, and recent asylum seeking migrants from Lithuania to Western Europe. Documentation of this dialect is yet sparse.

ROMLEX III

• Latvian Romani

• Latvian Romani belongs to the Northeastern dialect group. It is spoken by a small population in Lithuania and Latvia. Names also used to refer to this dialect are: Čuxny dialect or Lotfiko/Loftiko.

Dialect

Banatiski Gurbet Romani

Bugurdži Romani

Burgenland Romani

Crimean Romani

Dolenjski RomaniEast Slovak Romani

Finnish Romani Gurbet Romani

Gurvari RomaniHungarian Vend Romani

Kalderaš RomaniKosovo Arli Romani

Latvian RomaniLithuanian Romani

Lovara RomaniMacedonian Arli Romani

Macedonian Džambazi Romani

North Russian Romani

Romungro RomaniSepečides Romani

Sinte RomaniSofia Erli Romani

Sremski Gurbet Romani

Ursari Romani

Welsh Romani  

Albanian Bulgarian

Czech English

Finnish French

German Hungarian

LatvianMacedonian

Romanian

Russian

Serbian Slovak

Swedish  

A catalogue on the net

• Publications in Romani, useful for Romani language education

• First Edition. September 2004.

Compiled by Peter Bakker and Hristo Kyuchukov

• Publikacie andi Romani čhib kaj si lačhe andar i edukacia pal i Romani čhib

Angluni edicia. Septembr 2004.

Kerde o Peter Bakker thaj o Hristo Kju(ukov

More Lotfitka publications

•

damsonos, rikos. 1971. Čhajrí Ríngla. Pe Romaní čhíb Lotfítko Čhibátir Tulkindža Ļéksa Mnuš (poetry for children)

• Ariste, Paul (ed.). 1938. Romenge Paramiši. Mustlaste Muinasjutte [Gypsy Stories]. Tartu: P. Arumaa. 22 pp. (legends)

• Ariste, Paul. 1973. Einige Märchen der Čuchny Zigeuner [Lotfítko Romenge Paramiši][Some Fairy Tales of the Čuchny Gypsies]. Tartu: Tartu University Oriental Studies/Töid Orientalistika Alalt. (legends)

• Manuš, Léksa, Jnis Neiland & Krlis Rudevič.1997. Čignu-Latviešu-Angu un Latviešu-Čignu Vrdnca [Romani-Latvian-English and Latvian-Romani dictionary]. Riga: Zvaigzne ABC. (dictionary)

• Rudvičs, Krlis. No year. Romanu Dži. Otkedine Gija. Čigna Sirds. Dzejou izlase [Romani life. Selected poems]. (poetry)

• Bible. John. 1933. Evangelben Mro Raskro Iisusko Hristoskīro Joannostir Čhindlo. Riga: Britanijas un rzemju Bbeles Biedrba. (religion)

• Rudvičs, Krlis. 2000. Roméngu Barnos. Giorjá čhvorénge pu romani te lotf’tku čhib.Čignu Barons. (poetry)

• Kenrick, Donald. 2001. Romengiro Drom. Indijatyr ke Maškiratuno Derjav [Road of the Roma. From India to the Mediterranean]. Berlin: Parabolis. (history book)

• Valmiki. No year. Valmiki’s Ramayana. Romani/English Translation (Abridged) by Leksa Manush. Chandigarh: Roma Publications. (religion)

Xaladytka

• Grammar (Lithuania): Anton Tenser, 2006.• Grammar (Russia): Tatjana Ventzel, 1964,

1983– (Russian, German, English versions)

• Texts from the 1920s and 1930s: more than 250 publications: technical texts, ABC books, translated literature, original literature, political propaganda....

• Mahotin Džura. 1993. Adžutipe pre Romani Shib. Аджутипе прэ романи чиб. Пособие по языку романи [Help for the Romani Language]. Tver: Poligraph reklamizdat. 56 pp.

• Svetkov, Georgi, 2003. Romengo Kirvo-Romengiro Kirvo.

• Teaching Romani in schools?

• Roma teaching Romani in Sweden

Romani educational catalogue

• 710 titles (some listed twice) 2003/2004• Not yet complete (if ever...)• ABC books, songbooks, cookbooks,

dictionaries, poetry, conversation guides, religious materials (Christian, Muslim...), biographies, etc.

• http://fc.hum.au.dk/~peter_bakker/00D44EE2-0075824E.-1/romedu-

• Materials in Estonia can be – Developed in local dialects– Adjusted from materials available for closely

related varieties– Reworked from other (non-Romani) materials

The end