Romani varieties and educational materials

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Romani varietiesand educational materials

• Peter Bakker
• Aarhus University
• Institute for Anthropology, Archaeology and
  Linguistics

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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

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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 (!)

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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

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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

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Names of subgroups

• Based on (former) occupation
• Lovari lt Hungarian lo horse
• Kalderash lt Roumanian câldâr kettle
• Based on country/region
• Olah/Vlah Roumania
• Serbika Serbia
• Rom-ungro Hungary
• Estonia

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Estonia Romani dialects

• (Laiuse probably extinct since 1945)
• North Russian Romani/Xaladytka
• Cuxny/Lotfiko
• Branches Baltic Romani (no

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Latvia

• An early primer in Cyrillic writing by Leksa
  Manush

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a look inside
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Fiction/poetry/literature

• An epic poem in Romani (and Latvian)

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Latvia

• A much fancier primer/ABC book (1996)
• in Roman letters

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On-line dictionaries

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

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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.

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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.

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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 Cuxny dialect or
  Lotfiko/Loftiko.

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Romani varieties in ROMLEX
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target languages source languages
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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 chib kaj si lache andar i
  edukacia pal i Romani chibAngluni edicia.
  Septembr 2004.Kerde o Peter Bakker thaj o
  Hristo Kju(ukov

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More Lotfitka publications

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• damsonos, ?rikos. 1971. Chaj?rí Ríngla. Pe
  Romaní chíb Lotfítko Chibátir Tulkindža Léksa
  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 Cuchny
  Zigeuner Lotfítko Romenge ParamišiSome Fairy
  Tales of the Cuchny Gypsies. Tartu Tartu
  University Oriental Studies/Töid Orientalistika
  Alalt. (legends)

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• Manuš, Léksa, Jnis Neiland Krlis
  Rudevic.1997. Cignu-Latviešu-Angu un
  Latviešu-Cignu Vrdnca Romani-Latvian-English
  and Latvian-Romani dictionary. Riga Zvaigzne
  ABC. (dictionary)
• Rud?vics, Krlis. No year. Romanu Dži. Otkedine
  Gija. Cigna Sirds. Dzejou izlase Romani life.
  Selected poems. (poetry)
• Bible. John. 1933. Evangel?ben Mro Raskro
  Iisusko Hristoskiro Joannostir Chindlo. Riga
  Britanijas un rzemju B?beles Biedr?ba. (religion)

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• Rud?vics, Krlis. 2000. Roméngu Bar?nos. Giorjá
  chvorénge pu romani te lotftku chib.Cignu
  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. Valmikis Ramayana.
  Romani/English Translation (Abridged) by Leksa
  Manush. Chandigarh Roma Publications. (religion)
  

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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....

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• Mahotin Džura. 1993. Adžutipe pre Romani Shib.
  ???????? ??? ?????? ???. ??????? ?? ????? ??????
  Help for the Romani Language. Tver Poligraph
  reklamizdat. 56 pp.
• Svetkov, Georgi, 2003. Romengo Kirvo-Romengiro
  Kirvo.

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• Teaching Romani in schools?

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• Roma teaching Romani in Sweden

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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/00D44EE2-0075824
  E.-1/romedu-

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lt Cookbooks Text anthologies gt
lt Health Stories gt
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lt Folklore Poetry gt
lt Biography Bible gt
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social relations cards \/
/\ grammar
/\ food education
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• Materials in Estonia can be
• Developed in local dialects
• Adjusted from materials available for closely
  related varieties
• Reworked from other (non-Romani) materials

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The end