Between Romanian and Romani: Preserving the Mother Tongue in Roma Communities
Between Romanian and Romani: Preserving the Mother Tongue in Roma Communities

Summary/Abstract: The present study sets out to examine the concept of linguistic identity in several Roma communities in Romania, investigated by means of oral history interviews in the period June – September 2015, in Transylvania, Southern Oltenia and Banat. It refers to arrange of issues related to the bilingualism of some groups like Cortorari, Gabori, Rudari, especially to the situation of idioms spoken by them in the context of the major transformations undergone by the Romanian society after 1989. The sedentarization process, migration to urban areas (also to Western Europe), and acquisition of new cultural patterns are reflected on their mentality and vernacular language. Our research took into account attitudes manifested in relation to mother tongue and the official language,framework of their use, the generational differences among the speakers. Another aspect investigated is the role of language as an agent of cultivating specific cultural traditions. Romani language is promoted within the national education system and through activities carried out under the auspices of Roma organizations and NGOs. The issue of this language appears to be a problematic one:not having enough specialized teachers, lacking the contexts for commonly practicing it, this idiom is spoken particularly in the family and homogeneous communities. Last but not least, we followed the perception on Romanian language and its place in the acculturation phenomenon.

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