04-20-2007, 08:02 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Romani language takes written form for first time</b>
From: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Date: March 25, 1998
Author: Hutson, Jonathan
A scholarly team led by a linguistics professor of Romani descent have discovered new evidence of the origins of the Roma people, commonly known as Gypsies.
``That term is an abbreviation of `Egyptian,' which is ahistorical,'' says Dr. Ian Hancock of the University of Texas. ``It's pretty clear to us that our ancestors were Rajputs, an Indian-military force created from various people, reflecting several dialect groups.''
In the early 11th century, when the Rajputs were combating the spread of Islam, Romani originated in northern India, emerging from the same Middle Indian period as Hindi and Punjabi.
``We know that,'' says Hancock, ``because of the military vocabulary in Romani, which is Indian, not European, and because of the four words for a non-Gypsy person. The most common one is `gadjo'; this means civilian in Sanskrit, the mother tongue. The other three mean `prisoner of war.'
``This is a very new refinement of an earlier theory,'' he says. Since the 1960s, scholars have debated whether the Roma originated from the Dom, a lower caste of traveling musicians, or from a higher caste of warriors. By interrogating Romani's linguistic origins, Hancock thinks his team has uncovered some vital clues. ``We're looking closely at Indian languages and cultures, tracking down the origins of certain words which have been a mystery to us. For example, one of the words for a non-Gypsy, `gomi,' means a `person who has surrendered.'''
<b>The Roma diaspora from India began about 1,000 years ago, as the Rajputs pursued confrontations with Muslims along the western edge of Islam's expansion. As military people, the Rajputs were in the second-highest caste, divided into two groups denoting honorary descent from the sun or the moon. They wore insignia on their battle dress indicating whether they belonged to the sun- or moon group.
``These symbols turn up today among the Roma, among different `vitsi,' or clans,'' he explains. ``The Kalderash are the sun, the Lovari are the moon.'' </b>
Sheila Salo, a researcher on the ethnography and history of North American Roma, verifies that at least one group, the Kalderash, have been known to invoke the sun and the moon during the memorial feast called ``pomana,'' but states that this alone would not prove the Rajput theory of Rom origins. ``There may be political motivations for advancing that theory,'' she says, ``but I couldn't comment more without evaluating all the linguistic evidence.''
Although the many dialects of this language are rich in oral traditions, including stories and folk songs, it has only been in the past 30 years that Romani written literature has emerged, according to Dr. Hancock, who heads an International Romani Union commission charged with creating the first general encyclopedia in Romani.
Romani scholars have published dictionaries and a grammar and are preparing a poetry anthology, a collection of proverbs and translations of children's books. ``I've just finished a version of Dr. Seuss,'' says Hancock. ``Once we have our own textbooks and our own ethnic schools, that will be a main step toward empowerment and self-determination.''
Romani activist Gregory Kwiek agrees. On Saturdays he assembles a group of Gypsy children on Staten Island, N.Y., to teach them to read and write in their native language. ``Our society has been evolving,'' says Kwiek. ``Some of our youth were able to stay in the same place, to get educated, and because of that, this generation will make a difference.''
© 1998, The American News Service. For further information on ANS, please call 1-800-654-NEWS or e-mail info(at)americannews.com
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From: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Date: March 25, 1998
Author: Hutson, Jonathan
A scholarly team led by a linguistics professor of Romani descent have discovered new evidence of the origins of the Roma people, commonly known as Gypsies.
``That term is an abbreviation of `Egyptian,' which is ahistorical,'' says Dr. Ian Hancock of the University of Texas. ``It's pretty clear to us that our ancestors were Rajputs, an Indian-military force created from various people, reflecting several dialect groups.''
In the early 11th century, when the Rajputs were combating the spread of Islam, Romani originated in northern India, emerging from the same Middle Indian period as Hindi and Punjabi.
``We know that,'' says Hancock, ``because of the military vocabulary in Romani, which is Indian, not European, and because of the four words for a non-Gypsy person. The most common one is `gadjo'; this means civilian in Sanskrit, the mother tongue. The other three mean `prisoner of war.'
``This is a very new refinement of an earlier theory,'' he says. Since the 1960s, scholars have debated whether the Roma originated from the Dom, a lower caste of traveling musicians, or from a higher caste of warriors. By interrogating Romani's linguistic origins, Hancock thinks his team has uncovered some vital clues. ``We're looking closely at Indian languages and cultures, tracking down the origins of certain words which have been a mystery to us. For example, one of the words for a non-Gypsy, `gomi,' means a `person who has surrendered.'''
<b>The Roma diaspora from India began about 1,000 years ago, as the Rajputs pursued confrontations with Muslims along the western edge of Islam's expansion. As military people, the Rajputs were in the second-highest caste, divided into two groups denoting honorary descent from the sun or the moon. They wore insignia on their battle dress indicating whether they belonged to the sun- or moon group.
``These symbols turn up today among the Roma, among different `vitsi,' or clans,'' he explains. ``The Kalderash are the sun, the Lovari are the moon.'' </b>
Sheila Salo, a researcher on the ethnography and history of North American Roma, verifies that at least one group, the Kalderash, have been known to invoke the sun and the moon during the memorial feast called ``pomana,'' but states that this alone would not prove the Rajput theory of Rom origins. ``There may be political motivations for advancing that theory,'' she says, ``but I couldn't comment more without evaluating all the linguistic evidence.''
Although the many dialects of this language are rich in oral traditions, including stories and folk songs, it has only been in the past 30 years that Romani written literature has emerged, according to Dr. Hancock, who heads an International Romani Union commission charged with creating the first general encyclopedia in Romani.
Romani scholars have published dictionaries and a grammar and are preparing a poetry anthology, a collection of proverbs and translations of children's books. ``I've just finished a version of Dr. Seuss,'' says Hancock. ``Once we have our own textbooks and our own ethnic schools, that will be a main step toward empowerment and self-determination.''
Romani activist Gregory Kwiek agrees. On Saturdays he assembles a group of Gypsy children on Staten Island, N.Y., to teach them to read and write in their native language. ``Our society has been evolving,'' says Kwiek. ``Some of our youth were able to stay in the same place, to get educated, and because of that, this generation will make a difference.''
© 1998, The American News Service. For further information on ANS, please call 1-800-654-NEWS or e-mail info(at)americannews.com
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