Baltic Romani Explained

Baltic Romani should not be confused with Baltic languages.

Baltic Romani
States:Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Ukraine
Speakers:, including in Poland and 10,000 in Finland
Date:2001–2013
Ref:e25
Familycolor:Indo-European
Fam2:Indo-Iranian
Fam3:Indo-Aryan
Fam4:Central Zone
Fam5:Romani
Fam6:Northern Romani
Lc1:rml
Ld1:Baltic Romani
Lc2:rmf
Ld2:Finnish Kalo
Glotto:balt1257
Glottoname:Baltic Romani
Glotto2:kalo1256
Glottoname2:Finnish Kalo
Glottorefname2:Kalo Finnish Romani

Baltic Romani is group of dialects of the Romani language spoken in the Baltic states and adjoining regions of Poland and Russia. Half of the speakers live in Poland. It also called Balt Romani, Balt Slavic Romani, Baltic Slavic Romani, and Roma. Romani began as an Indo-European language, which morphed into an Indo-Iranian language, and then into an Indo-Aryan language. After that the Romani language broke down into Balkan Romani and Central Romani. Baltic Romani came from the Central Romani dialect which branches off into other dialects. There are a total of around 31,500 users in all countries.[1]

Classification

Baltic Romani is classified as a member of the Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan Central Zone, Romani, and Central Romani language families.

History

The first speakers of this language settled in southeast Europe during the 10th and 13th centuries in large swaths. From the 14th century onward, the language spread to central and western Europe as well. The immigrants that spoke this language typically had a darker complexion and many of these speakers were referred to as Gypsies. Comparisons between other languages later revealed it most likely originated from the Indian subcontinent.[2]

Geographic distribution

This language is spoken in the following countries;[3]

Official status

This language is not an official language in any particular country but has other statuses in those which it is spoken.

Dialects and varieties

Dialects are as follows;

('CL' stands for the main contact language):

Phonology

There are three simple stop positions in the Romani language. These come from the Indo-Aryan and are maintained in every dialect of this language. The positions are as follows; labial /p/, dental /t/, and velar /k/. Along with these stop positions, there are also palatal positions which are unique to the Romani language.[7] Specific voicing alterations have changed grammatical endings and different dialects have different ways of interpreting vowels. Some have morphed into newer versions of the Romani language and others have implemented other elements like screams.[8]

Grammar

In the Romani language, the noun changes the endings of sentences to show meaning. It is used to illustrate how that specific word acts in sentence and is similar to Latin.[9] Romani verbs are similar to those in the Italian, Spanish, and Latin languages. Depending on who is committing the action, the verb ending changes. There are many different verb endings in Romani which change the meaning of words. There are also different verb endings according to past and present tense in the language.[10] The language also has grammatical genders as there are both masculine and feminine words. There are definite articles in this language along with, "different articles for masculine and feminine nouns, for subject and non-subject and for singular and plural articles".[11]

MorphologyThe language began as an Indo-European language morphed into an Indo-Iranian language. From there it morphed into an Indo-Aryan language which eventually led to Romani. After that the Romani language broke down into Balkan Romani and Central Romani. Baltic Romani came from the Central Romani dialect which branches off to the many other dialects listed above.
SyntaxBaltic languages, such as Baltic Romani, have unique rules that their numerals follow when they are written. Their numerals govern their nominals but not to the degree that Slavic languages do.[12] Baltic genitives mark partial objects and sometimes subjects and also play a prominent role in the syntax of numeral constructions. Baltic languages are very similar as both Latvian and Latvian Romani share the same opposition of preverbs and verb particles.[13]

Vocabulary

There is a large Indo-Aryan presence in this language that appears mainly in reference to body parts and functions.[14] Along with bodily parts and functions, the Indo-Aryan presence also resides in words that reference time, nature, landscape, numerals, animals, and plants.[15] There is a pre-European lexicon that is mixed in this language that mainly refers to spiritual and religious ideas, tools, and artefacts.[15] Dwellings and Places are not represented the best in the inherited lexicon of this language.[16]

Examples

Using the word "sap" which means snake in Baltic Romani and is also a noun, the sentence it is used in will change as the noun does.

"Sap" (snake, subject of sentence) A snake is on the branch.

"Sapes" (snake, object of a sentence) I saw a snake.

"Sapeske" for a snake.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Romani, Baltic . September 13, 2023 . Joshua Project.
  2. Book: What is the Romani Language?. Bakker. Peter. Kiuchukov. Khristo. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. 2000. 49.
  3. News: Romani, Baltic. Ethnologue. 2017-05-05.
  4. Book: Калинин В. И. . Ученые записки ВГУ имени П.М. Машерова : cборник научных трудов . Витебск . 2019 . 152 .
  5. Book: Biblii︠a︡ : Pė Baltíko Romaní chib (Romanės) . 2014 . Valʹdemar Kalinin . 978-2-940059-20-1 . Biel . 1062281925.
  6. Book: Biblii︠a︡ : Pė Baltíko Romaní chib (Romanės) . 2014 . Valʹdemar Kalinin . 978-2-940059-20-1 . Biel . 1062281925.
  7. Book: Matras, Yaron. Romani: A Linguistic Introduction. 2002-06-06. Cambridge University Press. 9781139433242. 49. en.
  8. Book: Matras, Yaron. Romani: A Linguistic Introduction. 2002-06-06. Cambridge University Press. 9781139433242. 56. en.
  9. Book: What is the Romani Language?. Bakker. Peter. Kiuchukov. Khristo. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. 2000. 33.
  10. Book: What is the Romani Language?. Bakker. Peter. Kiuchukov. Khristo. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. 2000. 33, 34.
  11. Book: What is the Romani Language?. Bakker. Peter. Kiuchukov. Khristo. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. 2000. 35.
  12. Book: Circum-Baltic Languages: Volume 2: Grammar and Typology. Dahl. Östen. Koptjevskaja-Tamm. Maria. 2001-12-31. John Benjamins Publishing. 9789027297273. 342, 343. en.
  13. Book: Circum-Baltic Languages: Volume 2: Grammar and Typology. Dahl. Östen. Koptjevskaja-Tamm. Maria. 2001-12-31. John Benjamins Publishing. 9789027297273. 437. en.
  14. Book: Matras, Yaron. Romani: A Linguistic Introduction. 2002-06-06. Cambridge University Press. 9781139433242. 27. en.
  15. Book: Matras, Yaron. Romani: A Linguistic Introduction. 2002-06-06. Cambridge University Press. 9781139433242. 28. en.
  16. Book: Matras, Yaron. Romani: A Linguistic Introduction. 2002-06-06. Cambridge University Press. 9781139433242. 28., 29. en.