Skip to main content

Language Policy and Planning in Romani

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Romani Language and Linguistics

Abstract

This chapter outlines language policy and planning (LLP) efforts in Romani, where linguistic, geographical and sociocultural heterogeneity pose challenges to language codification, domain expansion and officialisation. Codification efforts either aim for the creation of a unified Romani variety or the written use of a single variety. LLP activities range from local bottom-up initiatives at the grassroots level to top-down measures of international umbrella organisations. Proponents are groups of activists, sometimes even only single actors. Support for their activities is provided by civil society and academia as well as national and international institutions. The chapter outlines the sociolinguistic situation of Romani, gives a historical overview of Romani LLP, discusses LLP strategies on the example of case studies and addresses the protection of Romani at the supranational level.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anderson, Benedict. 1983. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cech, Petra, and Mozes F. Heinschink. 1999. Sepečides-Romani. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cioabă, Luminița. 1994. O angluno la phuveako. Sibiu: Editura Neo Drom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of Europe. 1992. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/0900001680695175. Accessed 10 February 2019.

  • Council of Europe. 2001. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). https://rm.coe.int/1680459f97. Accessed 10 February 2019.

  • Council of Europe. 2008. A Curriculum Framework for Romani (CFR). https://rm.coe.int/a-curriculum-framework-for-romani-developed-in-co-operation-with-the-e/16805a2ab9. Accessed 10 February 2019.

  • Courthiade, Marcel. 1989. O kodifikaciji i normalizaciji romskog zajedničkog jezika. In I Romani Čhib thaj kultura, ed. Sait Balić et.al., 205–221. Sarajevo: Institut za Proučavanje Nacionalnih Odnosa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courthiade, Marcel. 1992. Research and action group on Romani linguistics. Interface 8: 4–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courthiade, Marcel. 2009. Morri Angluni Rromane Ćhibǎqi Evroputni Lavustik. Budapest: Romano Kher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, Winifred V., and Evelyne Ziegler (eds.). 2015. Language planning and microlinguistics: From policy to interaction and vice versa. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimić, Trifun / Димиħ, Tpифyн. 1989. Ramosarimaski thaj drabarimaski kultura / Paмocapимacки тxaj двaбapимacки кyлтypa. Novi Sad.

    Google Scholar 

  • Đurić, Rajko. 2012. Standardizacija romskog jezika. Sarajevo: Udruženje Kali Sara Romski Informativni Centar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishman, Joshua A. 1991. Reversing language shift. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, Eben. 2014. Roma in the Yugoslav successor states. Flensburg: ECMI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, Victor A. 1995. Romani standardization and status in the Republic of Macedonia. In Romani in contact: The history, structure, and sociology of a language, ed. Yaron Matras, 203–217. Benjamins: Amsterdam and Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, Victor A. 1999. The Romani language in the Republic of Macedonia: Status, usage, and sociolinguistic perspectives. Acta Linguistica Hungarica 46 (3/4): 317–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, Victor A. 2005. The Romani language in Macedonia in the third millennium: Progress and problems. In General and applied Romani linguistics, ed. Barbara Schrammel, Dieter W. Halwachs, and Gerd Ambrosch, 163–173. Proceedings from the 6th International Conference on Romani Linguistics. Munich: Lincom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halwachs, Dieter W. 2003. The changing status of Romani in Europe. In Minority languages in Europe: Frameworks, status, prospects, ed. Gabrielle Hogan-Brun and Stephan Wolff, 192–207. Houndmills: Palgrave.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Halwachs, Dieter W. 2011. Language planning and media: The case of Romani. Current Issues in Language Planning 12 (3): 381–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halwachs, Dieter W. 2012. Romani teaching: Some general considerations based on model cases. European Yearbook of Minority Issues 9 (1): 249–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halwachs, Dieter W. 2013. The Burgenland Romani experience. Manchester: RomIdent. http://romani.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/virtuallibrary/librarydb/web/files/pdfs/372/Paper14.pdf. Accessed 16 May 2018.

  • Halwachs, Dieter W. 2017. Languages, plurality, and minorities in Europe. In Minority languages in education and language learning: Challenges and new perspectives, ed. Jelena Filipović and Julijana Vučo, 19–42. Belgrade: Beograd University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halwachs, Dieter W., Simone W. Klinge, and Barbara Schrammel-Leber. 2015. Romani, education, segregation and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Graz: GLM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haugen, Einar. 1959. Planning for a standard language in modern Norway. Anthropological Linguistics 1 (3): 8–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heller, Monica. 2011. Paths to post-nationalism: A critical ethnography of language and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornberger, Nancy. 2006. Frameworks and models in language policy and planning. In Language policy: Theory and practice, ed. Thomas Ricento, 24–41. London: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hübschmannová, Milena, and Jiří V. Neustupný. 1996. The Slovak and Czech dialect of Romani and its standardisation. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 119: 109–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • IRU. 1991. I Alfabèta e Standardone Rromane Ćhibaqiri. Informaciaqo Lil E Rromane Uniaqoro 1 (2): 7–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, Robert B., and Richard B. Baldauf. 1997. Language planning from practice to theory. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kepeski, Krume, and Šaip Jusuf. 1980. Romani grammatika. Skopje: Naša Kniga.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lexin. 2007. Svensk-Romskt/Arli Lexikon – Švedikano-Romano/Arlikano Leksikoni. Institut för Språk och Folkminnen, Språkrådet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liddicoat, Anthony J., and Richard B. Baldauf. 2008. Language planning in local contexts: Agents, contexts and interactions. In Language planning in local contexts, ed. Anthony J. Liddicoat and Richard B. Baldauf, 3–17. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ljungberg, Erik, and Lambert Scherp. 1979. Contribution á la discusion sur l´orthographe de la langue Tsigane. Stockholm: Garnisonstryckeriet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 1999. Writing Romani: The pragmatics of codification in a stateless language. Applied Linguistics 20 (4): 481–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 2002. Romani: A linguistic introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 2005a. The future of Romani: Toward a policy of linguistic pluralism. Roma Rights 1 (2005): 31–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 2005b. The classification of Romani dialects: A geographical-historical perspective. In General and applied Romani linguistics, Barbara Schrammel, Dieter W. Halwachs, and Gerd Ambrosch, 7–26. Proceedings from the 6th International Conference on Romani Linguistics. Munich: Lincom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 2013. Scholarship and the politics of Romani identity: Strategic and conceptual issues. European Yearbook of Minority 10 (2011): 209–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. 2015. Transnational policy and ‘authenticity’ discourses on Romani language and identity. Language in Society 44: 295–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron. Forthcoming. The standardization of a stateless language. In The Cambridge handbook of language standardization, ed. Wendy Ayres-Bennett and John Bellamy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matras, Yaron, and Gertrud Reershemius. 1991. Standardization beyond the state: The case of Yiddish, Kurdish and Romani. In Standardization of national languages, ed. Ulrich von Gleich and Ekkehard Wolf, 103–123. Hamburg: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Keefe, Brigid. 2013. New Soviet Gypsies. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rézműves, Melinda, Courthiade Marcel, and Hajnalka Klein. 2003. Rromane lila – Romani letters – Cigány levelek. József főherceg cigány nyelvű levelezése a XIX. századból. Budapest: Romano Kher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rusakov, Alexander Y. 2013. The Soviet standard Romani language of 1920s–1930s: Linguistic characteristics in a socio-cultural context. Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. Vol. IX Part 3: 315–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, John. 1926. The dialect of the Gypsies of Wales. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarău, Gheorghe. 1992. Mic dicţionar Rom-Român. Bucureşti: Kriterion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarău, Gheorghe. 1994. Limba Romani: Manual pentru Clasele de Invățători Romi ale Școlilor Normale. Bucureşti: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spolsky, Bernard. 2003. Language policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ventcel, Tatjana V. 1964. Cyganskij jazyk (severnorusskij dialekt). Moskva: Nauka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, Susan. 2004. Language policy and language planning: From nationalism to globalization. Houndmills: Palgrave.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dieter W. Halwachs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Halwachs, D.W. (2020). Language Policy and Planning in Romani. In: Matras, Y., Tenser, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Romani Language and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28105-2_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28105-2_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28104-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28105-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics