About the Roma: A Rose by Any Other Name…

Image from Equine Ranch in a post about Rare Horse Breeds and the Gypsy Vanner (horse). Click on photo for original post.

As discussed in the last blog post, the term “Gypsy” is a derogatory term and should not be used when describing the Romani people. So what terms should you use when speaking about these people? In general, it seems that most Romani people agree on the following terminology:

Rom: person, man, husband, (singular)

Roma (Rroma): people, (plural)

Romani: an adjective, as in Romani language, Romani people, Romani culture, etc. (similar to American, African, French)

Romani/Romanes: the spoken language of the Roma (derives from Punjabi region of India)

Gadje: non-Roma, outsiders (also male: gadjo; female; gadji)

Gadjikane: an adjective meaning non-Romani (foreign or outsiders), as in gadjikane music

(Adapted from:
http://www.voiceofroma.com/culture/gyp_vs_rom.shtml
)

Stay tuned for interviews with Romani Americans and much more.