We published two interviews maden with two important scientists last weeks. One of them is linguist Yaron Matras who is also one of the administrators of the project, Romani Manchester. Matras have also some works on various Gypsy (peripatetic) Languages notably Domani as well as Romanes. Judith Okely wrote a book, "The Traveller Gypsies", have sparked important debates. She criticizes the theory, Indian Migration, accepted as a common truth since 19. century from an anthropoligical perspective. With Okely's works, a new school on Gypsy studies have started to grow.
I will try to evaluate opinions exist in the interviews on Weekly Agenda Articles will be published this week and next week. This week, i am starting with the Interview with Yaron Matras.
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Yaron Matras explained the term secret language and the ways of existing of secret languages. Secret languages are being created by the groups communicate themselves in a way self-enclosed. Matras told that secret languages are being created with the ways just like changing mean of the words owned to common language spoken in the society the group lives, adding or ejecting syllables to words, changing some letters on the purpose of making words puzzling to outers. One of the peoples use these kind of secret languages is sure Gypsy (peripatetic) communities.
Matras emphasizes that secret languages have an important social function among peripatetic Gypsy communities. Our ancestors were going to the places where settled agriculturalist or nomadic herder Gadjo societies live to sell them some crafts they were producing. And when it was needed to collogue beside Gadjo, secret languages stepped in. How long to continue bargain or existing a danger targeting community was generally explained with secret languages to community members if there were also Gadjos. Matras emphasizing these dimensions of the issue shows social function of secret languages.
We asked Matras about the position of Romanes among these kind of secret languages. He told us that Romanes shouldn't be compared with secret languages and Romanes is an independent language. Accorging to him, there is noconnection with Romanes and the ways of creating secret languages. Romanes is rather the language of a population migrated to somewhere and to continue using its mother language. Matras with this comment makes a linguistical classification. We also agree with this classification. Romanes is not a secret languages derived from any language spoken in European geography with the ways of creating secret languages.
Secret language is a technical term. We believe that using the term "Gypsy Languages" used by Donald Kenrick will give us a chance to see different dimension of the issue. Kenrick at this example uses the word Gypsy with its broadest meaning as we do generally including all kind of peripatetic societies. He points the languages just like Abdoltili, Lomavren, Domane, Geygel language and the others used by peripatetic societies all over the world using the term Gypsy Languages.
Existing process of Gypsy languages is an other issue. It's understandable that there are different ways of existing of Gypsy languages. But all of them have similar kind of social function. Yes, Romanes has a scructure as independent as never able to be compared with many Gypsy languages spoken in Europe. Main reason of the case is Romanes includes some lexical and grammatical materials originated from India. However, Romanes were also used by Roma Gypsies with a similar social function just like the other Gypsy languages. Basketmaker, tinner, blacksmith and sieve maker Roma Gypsies have used Romanes when they were face to face with Gadjo for selling somecrafts to make a self-enclosed communication. Even in some Roma groups, daily communication among group member is made with the language of majority society Roma live with. In this groups, Romanes is used when only it's needed to communicate secretly... In this context, we believe that similarities about social function between Romanes and other Gypsy language is really prominent even existing way of the languages is different from eachother.
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During the interview, we told about one of the main principles of our web page to Matras. We, as Cingeneyiz.org family, believe that it's needed to represent all kind of Gypsy (peripatetic) communities to save our people against discrimination based on racism. Our main reason for this principle is that all Gypsy (peripatetic) communities are descendants of peripatetic ancestors and today they face similar kind of difficulties mostly derived from their peripatetic background. This is why we are defining our page as a place for Roma, Abdals, Lom, Dom, Rudari, Yeniche and the others...
Matras told that he can evaluate our approach from two perspective. He thinks that there are not any cultural commonality between Roma and the other peripatetic societies. And he emphasized that it won't be fair to accept all them as one ethnic group. He refuse to ignore specialities of different peripatetic societies all over the Europe just like Jeniche, Pavee and others. We had no difficulty to emphatize with Matras because we had seen many approach to ignore differencies and specialities of different peripatetic societies with political reasons. On the other hand, Matras emhasized that If all of them want to unite and represent themselves commonly, nobody could say Gypsy (peripatetic) communities "you are different".
As we emphasized in the interview, we have never said that all Gypsy (peripatetic) communities are one ethnic groups. For us, as Romanes is a cultural substance should be protected, the other Gypsy languages and cultures are also cultural substances of humanity should be protected. We never refuse specialities of Gypsy (peripatetic) societies.
On the other hand, as differences, similarities between Gypsy (peripatetic) societies are also important. Firstly, we are descendants of peripatetic ancestors. While ancestors of Gadjo societies were working as settled agriculturalist or nomadic herders, our ancestors were specialised on some crafts and services. Group identiy of many Gypsy (peripatetic) societies were existed with in the frame of subsistence ways of groups. Gypsy (peripatetic) groups losed their traditional jobs with various reason have founded new ways of subsistence and group identity have been continued in the frame of new traditional job. A Roma group had worked as basketmakers until 1960s have started to work as flower sellers after that time in Istanbul. Main element defining this group is still their job today. They are known with their job by both Gadjo and the other Gypsy (peripatetic) societies. It's possible to find many more examples.
There have been similarities between different Gypsy (peripatetic) societies after sharing a peripatetic lifesytle for thousands of years. It's also possible to see in many examples entegration of different Gypsy (peripatetic) societies started to live together in same settlement to create a common culture. I have identified Gypsy (peripatetic) societies in my book (Book of The Gypsies - published in Turkish, not transleted yet) as universal nation referring to their potential to entegrate eachother and create mixed cultures.
The Interview with Yaron Matras is really informative for many points. We learned many new things and have the chance to test our position. It would be helpful to keep it longer. We have many more question about some topics just like comparing of Romanes and Domane or the language of the lost Gypsy (peripatetic) society of Middle East, Banu Sassans: Lugha... However we will ask this questions one day. We will also make our audiences informed about new works of Yaron Matras.
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Next week, we will evalute the opinions of Judith Okely existing in the interview and also her published works.
Have a nice week!
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