Translation Romani has decided to maintain use of the word Romani in all language versions of this website, inclusively and in reference both to the language and people of all the diverse ethnic communities throughout the world, i.e. Roma, Sinti, Manuš, Calé, Romanichal, Kalé, and many others. Please read the important notes from our translators for explanations and other translations currently in use locally, nationally or regionally.
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The Romani Spectrum
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Romani is a term that collectively designates the diverse linguistic and cultural ethnic traits shared among over 12 million people who reside in many different countries throughout the world and who have often been referred to historically as "Gypsies".
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Romani is a term that collectively designates the linguistic and cultural ethnic traits shared among over 12 million people who reside in many diverse countries throughout the world and who have often been referred to historically as "Gypsies". Romani peoples originated in India and resided for an extended period of time in Byzantine Anatolia (present-day eastern Turkey). Since then, they have migrated to and settled in Greece, the Balkans, all of Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Mexico and much of Latin America, as well as Australia. Fluency in one or more of almost 80 dialects that comprise the Romani language varies, but the adoption of contemporary technologies has rekindled interest in learning the language and brought opportunities to communicate over national boundaries as never before. Romani peoples identify not only with one another but with the many diverse societies and nations in which they are citizens and with whom they have interacted over the centuries. As citizens of diverse nation-states, they speak national languages as well as Romani. "Romani Studies" as an academic discipline of study emerged first as a specific area of research within Linguistics. It has since developed into a dynamic domain that embraces perspectives and methodologies from other disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, ethnography, political science, migration studies, diaspora studies, cultural studies, music and history. Romani peoples currently constitute the largest minority group in the European Union. |
The Romani language, comprised of almost 80 dialects and studied by linguists since the 18th-19th c., raises many questions of relevance to us today in our globalizing world. Where did Romani come from? Is there a standard Romani? Which dialects are most widespread? Is Romani officially recognized? Is there a Romani nation?
Romani cultural expression is as dynamic and diverse as the many peoples it embraces. Oral traditions sustain a lively storytelling culture. Sacred texts such as the Bible can be read in Romani. Romani artists have contributed to performance and visual arts, as well as literature, in many modes and languages.
Translators have historically been the silent, often invisible, channels bridging the contact and transfer of knowledge and cultural expression. Their individual stories interweave within global histories of exploration, commerce, colonization and warfare, forging new identities in the narrations of local and global history.
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