Celebrating Our Diverse Language Heritage
21 February 2017
Radost Zaharieva
ERRC Country facilitator, France
Rromanes: moro barvalipe, moro jivotosqo maribe
Roma, Gipsies, Manushes, Gitans/Gitanos, Kale, Sinte, sa manu?a kaj be?en and-e verver thema and-o sasto sundal, po-but thar 10 milion? sine and-e Evropa, thaj isi panda ki Amerika, Australia, Azia thaj kola. So unisardel savore kadale d?ene andar verver thema, kontinent?, region?, so isi len verver tradicie, a?ara, jivoto?
I ?hib si o temeli e dostipesqo, so lokisarel e komunikacia e manu?engi and-e thema. I ?hib na si sade kava so del vast thaj vazdinel e manu?enge relacien, kava si i baza e manu?ipesqi. I ?hib si sar jekh dikhavlin so sikavel o manu?engo nakhlimos, lenge kulturalo palmukhlipe, sikavel katar aven lenge a?ara thaj tradicie.
I rromani ?hib d?al po-dur tar kadale socialo role thaj ovel o maj-va?no faktori so unisardel sa e Romen save be?en verver thanende and-o sasto sundal birda te ovel verver diferencie ma?kar lende. Ako o rromano ?hal/narodo si ulavdo grupende thaj isi len diferencie, amen o Rroma isi amen jekh ?hib kaj zor?vel amen sar ?hal/narodo. Oj si kava so vazdinel amen sar ?hal/narodo bi te ovel amen them, institucie thaj themesqe administracia. I rromani ?hib si kava so rist?rel o isimos e Rromane ?halesqo. Oj sikavel i rromani istoria, del informacia palal o baro drom e rromanego katar i India d?i ki Evropa thaj ko sasto sundal.
I rromani ?hib si meri ?hib, moro barvalipe thaj moro maribe. ?a?es, kava si moro jivotosqo maribe te vazdel pes i rromani ?hib and-e politika, o sasto dostipe te halovel amare ?hibaqe va?no rol? and-o avindipe e Rromengo thaj amare ?hibaqo than and-e sundalesqo palmukhlipe; te brakhas amari ?hib thaj te sikas laqo barvalipe e avere generacienge, te siklovas len te na lad?an te vakeren pumare dajaqe ?hib thaj te barikanen pumen laca.
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Rromanes: my wealth, my life’s battle
Roma, Gipsies, Manushes, Gitans/Gitanos, Kale, Sinte, all of them are people living in various countries all over the world; they are more than 10 milions in Europe and other live in Amerika, Australia, Asia etc. What unites so many communities living in different countries, continents, regions, having different customs, habits and lifestyles?
The language is the basis of the society, facilitating the contacts and communication between the people in various countries. The language is rather than a tool promoting the relationships between human beings, it is the basis of humanity. Also, the language is similar to a mirror where we can retrace the history of a population, its cultural heritage, explains the origin of its habits, mores and traditions.
Rromani language called Rromanes surpasses all these social vocations and becomes the main factor unifying many Romani communities living in various countries all over the world despite of their differences. If Roma people is divided into different groups and have some differences, we have a common language which straighten us as people/nation. The rromani language is the factors making possible Romani people to exist without having a state with institutions and administration. Rromanes is a guarantee for Roma to exist as people. The rromani language is a tool retracing the rromani history, provides precious information about the long and hard journey from India to Europe and the world.
Rromanes is my language, my wealth, but also my life’s battle. Yes, it is a battle to promote it in policies (on political level), to make the whole society understand its major role for the future of the Rromani communities and its place in the world cultural heritage; to preserve it and transmit it to the next generation, to teach them do not shy of speaking their mother tongue but to be proud of it.
Dzavit Berisa
Publications Officer
Gjuhen e kemi humbur por ne ende ekzistojme. Ballkano-Egjiptianet jane nje grup minoritaresh te cilet me shekuj kane adaptuar gjuhen e vendit ku ata jetojne. Keshtu per shembull, ne Maqedoni ne qytetet e Ohrid, Struges dhe Resnjes flasin gjuhen shqipe ne dialektin toske, ne Diber ne dialektin gege. Ne Kercove, Prilep dhe nje pjese e Bitolit (Manastirit) flasin gjuhen Maqedonishte, por nje pjese tjeter e Manastirit si dhe ne qytete te shumta te Maqedonise lindore flasin gjuhen turke. Ne Serbi te gjitha e preferojne gjuhen serbe, por ne Kosove si gjuhe "amtare" eshte gjuha shqipe.
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We lost the language but we still exist. Balkan-Egyptians are a minority group who for centuries have adapted the language of the country where they live. For example, in Macedonia in the cities of Ohrid, Struga and Resen they speak Albanian in toska dialect, in Debar in gege dialect. In Kicevo, Prilep and part of Bitol (Monastery) they speak the Macedonian language, but another part of Bitola and in other towns like east Macedonia they speak the Turkish language. In Serbia all prefer Serbian language, but in Kosovo as "native" language they speak Albanian.
Jonathan Lee
Communications Officer
“Murro Romany chib si buhte differenciya i tu.”
Cavo si rokrepen shom i baro penav ande Romany chib.
Katre amande Cymru, e vitsya ande Baro Brittania. San si e vitsya bicunyie ande o lanordesko Europa, anglo, thai akana-komi (so sar Brexit). Si covar ajaw sar amaro chib, buhte chiros, Romany folki chi hacheren asarlas ando Europa.
Mande’s phuro-tad si amaro lavi-ken pale e chib, mes leste riginzi-engro si kek-kushdi. Avav atch e chib jivinde thai sikholav komi lave i Romany chib ando mande’s booty sar o Ken Romano Chachimaske Europo.
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“My Romani is very different to yours”.
This is the phrase I have to say the most in Romani.
I am from Wales, a country in Great Britain. It is a country isolated in the North of Europe, before, and more so now (what with Brexit). So it is with our language, most of the time, Roma in Europe don’t understand it at all.
My grandfather is our library for the language but his memory is not what it was. So I will keep the language alive and learn more Romani words through my job at the European Roma Rights Centre.
Benjamin Ignac
Communications Intern
Kand avem ?ap?i ani, parinci amei mu anvacat limba da Baja?, kari aj limba alu oamenji nostri la sjever am Hrvatska. Limbasta samana la Rumunje??i ali noj anj adoptat vorbi ?a dam Ungure??i, Horvace??i ?a Romanes. Noj nu pratalenj pravilur dam gramatika ili pravopis daje ka limbasta aj mai mult improvizata ?a mai mult vurbita. Ni? udata nam trebuit sa ?italesk ili sa skriu pa Ba?e??i, ali ?ak ?a daka a? ganđi noj nu avenj mul?i kenvij kari as skrisa pa Ba?e??i ili Baja? kari ar fi sposobanj sa lji skrie. Kum fu?i vreme, a?a ?a mai mul?i vorbi da Horvat as koristili?i an loku lu vorbilje da Baja?. Limba anostra pan?et nestele??i ili sa transforme??i am ?eva alt. Ba?e??i nari mari presti? kum ari al?ilje limbi da Rom daje ka struktura da Ba?e??i aj jednostavna ?a nari historija lunga ni? da vurbit ni? da skris. Orkic oamenji za?i ka Ba?e??i ni? nuja prava limba. Ba?e??i aj salatra dam mul?i vorbi dam mul?i limbi ?a kulturi.
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When I was seven years old my parents taught me Bajash, which is the language of my people in northern Croatia. It sounds very similar to Romanian but we have adopted some Hungarian, Croatian and Romanes words into it. We don’t follow any strict grammar or spelling rules because it is largely improvised and mostly just spoken. I never had to read or write in Bajash but even if I wanted to, we lack books written in Bajash or people who would be capable to write them. As time passes, we are replacing more and more original Bajash words with Croatian words. Our language is slowly disappearing or transforming into something else. Because of its simple structure and poor spoken and written history, Bajash has a low prestige when compared to other forms of Romani language. Some people don’t even consider it a real language. Bajash is a salad of different words from multiple languages and cultures.
Vivien Brassoi
Legal Trainee
Katar muri dej sityilem Romanes te vorbi. O Romani shib thaj muri familija si mange sar te kashteske vuna ande phuv. O Romani vorba si kasavi shukar mange sar kanak luludya pheren avri pe tyo muj. O Romani shib thaj vorba zhutil man te zhanav khatar avilem. Chi kamav te bistrav mura daki shib. La slobodimaski shib si kadi mange.
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I have learned Romanes from my mother. For me the Romani language and my family are like the roots of a tree in the soil. Romanes for me is like when flowers spill out of your mouth. Romanes helps me know where I came from. I do not want to forget my mother's language. The language of freedom - that is what it is for me.