This etext was prepared by David Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk, from the 1905 John Murray edition.

ROMANO LAVO-LIL WORD-BOOK OF THE ROMANY OR, ENGLISH GYPSY LANGUAGE WITH SPECIMENS OF GYPSY POETRY, AND AN ACCONT OF CERTAIN GYPSYRIES OR PLACES INHABITED BY THEM, AND OF VARIOS THINGS RELATING TO GYPSY LIFE IN ENGLAND.

by George Borrow

Contents:

The English Gypsy Language Romano Lavo-Lil: Word-book of the Romany Rhymed List of Gypsy Verbs Betie Rokrapenes: Little Sayings Cotorres of Mi-dibble's Lil. Chiv'd Adrey Romanes: Pieces of Scripture cast into Romany The Lord's Prayer in the Gypsy Dialect of Transylvania Lil of Romano Jinnypen: Book of the Wisdom of the Egyptians Romane Navior of Temes and Gavior: Gypsy Names of Countries and Towns Thomas Rossar-Mescro, or Thomas Herne Kokkodus Artarus Mang, Prala: Beg on, Brother English Gypsy Songs Welling Kattaney: The Gypsy Meeting Lelling Cappi: Making a Fortune The Dui Chalor: The Two Gypsies Miro Romany Chi: My Roman Lass Ava, Chi: Yes, my Girl The Temeskoe Rye: The Youthful Earl Camo-Gillie: Love Song Tugnis Amande: Woe is me The Rye and the Rawne: The Squire and Lady Romany Suttur Gillie: Gypsy Lullaby Sharrafi Kralyissa: Our Blessed Queen Plastra Lesti: Run for it! Foreign Gypsy Songs The Romany Songstress L'Erajai: The Frair Malbrun: Malbrouk The English Gypsies Tugney Beshor: Sorrowful Years Their History Gypsy Names Fortune-Telling The Hukni Cauring Metropolitan Gypsyries Wandsworth The Potteries The Mount Ryley Bosvil Kirk Yetholm

"Can you rokra Romany? Can you play the bosh? Can you jal adrey the staripen? Can you chin the cost?"

"Can you speak the Roman tongue? Can you play the fiddle? Can you eat the prison-loaf? Can you cut and whittle?"

The Author of the present work wishes to state that the Vocabulary, which forms part of it, has existed in manuscript for many years. It is one of several vocabularies of various dialects of the Gypsy tongue, made by him in different countries. The most considerable-- that of the dialect of the Zincali or Rumijelies (Romany Chals) of Spain--was published in the year 1841. Amongst those which remain unpublished is one of the Transylvanian Gypsy, made principally at Kolosvar in the year 1844.

December 1, 1873.

{Special Project Gutenberg note: In this book a lot of non-European characters are used which cannot easily be reproduced. Rather than omit these entirely I have commented where they occur in the text. If there's sufficient demand I'll try to produce an updated text with these characters. David Price, 28 June 2000}

THE ENGLISH GYPSY LANGUAGE

The Gypsies of England call their language, as the Gypsies of many other countries call theirs, Romany or Romanes, a word either derived from the Indian Ram or Rama, which signifies a husband, or from the town Rome, which took its name either from the Indian Ram, or from the Gaulic word, Rom, which is nearly tantamount to husband or man, for as the Indian Ram means a husband or man, so does the Gaulic...

Show full text: 267,728 characters