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Understanding Language's Role in Culture and the Origin of the Roma

This article explores the significance of language as a means of communication and cultural identity. It delves into how language reflects a people's history, examining the debate between bilingual education and English-only instruction. Additionally, it traces the journey of the Roma people, analyzing their origins, language, and the theoretical frameworks connecting them to a warrior caste in India. By investigating dialects, etymology, and the cultural implications of language, we uncover insights about identity, community, and migration.

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Understanding Language's Role in Culture and the Origin of the Roma

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  1. Critical Thinking • What’s the official language of the United States?

  2. Language and Cultural History How language can teach us about the history and culture of a people

  3. Language • Language • Method of mutually-understandable communication • Set of sounds, combination of sounds and symbols • Language is an essential part of culture • Why do people feel so strongly about bilingual v. English-only education?

  4. Language • Standard Language • Widely published and distributed • Purposefully taught • Lexicon (Vocabulary) • Syntax (Structure) • Phonetics (Sounds) • Orthography (Writing system)

  5. Dialects • Dialects • Variants on standard language by region • Isogloss • Contour line representing area where language feature is present • Where is the line between dialect and language?

  6. The English Language? • Alcohol • Amok (to “run amok”) • Boondocks • Chasm • Embargo • Finger • Geyser • Juggernaut • Schmalz • Typhoon • Umbrella • Yogurt

  7. Origins of Words • Alcohol • Amok • Boondocks • Chasm • Arabic • Malay • Tagalog • Greek

  8. Origins of Words • Embargo • Finger • Geyser • Juggernaut • Spanish • German • Icelandic • Hindi

  9. Origins of Words • Schmalz • Typhoon • Umbrella • Yogurt • Yiddish • Chinese • Italian • Turkish

  10. Gypsies

  11. The Roma

  12. Where did they come from? • “Gypsy” • Egypt?

  13. Where? • The Romani language has many similarities to some modern Indian dialects. • Linguists concluded that the Roma left from Northwest India in the 12th Century

  14. But Why? • Languages helps again • Roma words for non-Roma • Gadjo = “civilian” • Das = “slave; prisoner” • Roma has a plethora of military words that have their origin in Sanskrit

  15. Therefore • By using language and historical texts, scholars were able to trace the origin of the Roma to a military group in India

  16. One Theory: Ancient Battles • Ghaznavid Empire • Moghul • Rajputs • Kshatriya (warrior caste) • Shudra (servant caste) • Defeated in battle • Diaspora

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