This language contains a rich history of its earliest origins, changes of it phases and contains a history of oppression. Through its diverse history, we are able to see how this language has made changes and additions to its language as a whole.
To start off, the Romani language can be traced down its diverse lineage in its earliest origins in India. Romani can be traced to its relation with the Indic languages spoken by the traveling communities of Indian origin (ROMANI Project - Manchester, 2018). This group of people is referred as Rom or Řom, which consists …show more content…
Another group would be the Dom who spoke the language Domari which was a group of metalworkers and entertainers (ROMANI Project - Manchester, 2018).
However, another account of the Romani lineage would be due to migrations of war. During the 11th century, Muhammad of Ghazni the founder of the Ghaznavid Empire would invade the lands of India (Szczepanski, 2018). The reasoning behind this war would be due to his ambitions of spreading Islam, establishing his empire and reaping the gold of Hindu temples
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(Szczepanski, 2018). For a period of three decades, the Muslim troops under Muhammad’s rule would push inroads into the east and eventually westwards into Europe which would force Indian troops and families into Southeastern Europe around 1300 (Hancock, 2012).
The earliest forms of documentation of Romani would date back to the mid-sixteenth century. Earliest forms of Romani would be compared with the development of languages that were found in India. These phases included Proto-Romani, Early Romani, and Modern Romani dialects. In the Proto-Romani phase, it would be believed that Proto-Romani would …show more content…
Throughout most of history, the Romani people would face hardships day in and day out.
Silverman states, “In the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, Roma were slaves from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. As bonded serfs owned by noblemen, landowners, monasteries, and the state, they were sold, bartered, flogged, and dehumanized; even their marriages were strictly regulated” (Silverman, 1995). To add on, Romanians were not only slaves, “ Roma were viewed as outcasts, intruders, and threats, probably because of their dark skin, their association with invading Muslim Ottoman Empire, and their foreign ways”
(Silverman, 1995). As we move along time, the Roma’s would continue to face oppression.
Around the 1800’s in Germany, the Weimar Government would pass anti-Roma laws throughout many institutions within Germany (Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative, 2018).
These laws included, deportation of Roma people who lacked German identification,
Dudding-Domanay 4 surveillance of Roma people, trade regulations and formal identification establishment