Laiuse Romani
Encyclopedia
Laiuse Romani was a Romani
variety spoken in Estonia
. It was a mixed language
based on Romani and Estonian
.
The Romani people first appeared to Estonia in the 17th century. Tale says they were first part of Swedish King Charles XII
's Gypsy orchestra which he, after spending a winter in Laiuse
, left behind. From that on they made a lot of trouble all around Estonia. In 1841 all of the 44 Estonian Romani were collected and settled around Laiuse
Parish. Of course that didn't stop them from wandering, but part of them still kept living in Laiuse. Their main stop was Raaduvere
village, but they also lived in Tähkvere, Jõgeva
and it's precincts. Before the Second World War there was 60 Romani in Laiuse. Laiuse Romani became extinct
in the German occupation, when all its speakers were killed by the Nazis during the Porajmos
.
of velar consonant
s before front vowel
s and initial devoicing
.
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
variety spoken in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. It was a mixed language
Mixed language
A mixed language is a language that arises through the fusion of two source languages, normally in situations of thorough bilingualism, so that it is not possible to classify the resulting language as belonging to either of the language families that were its source...
based on Romani and Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
.
The Romani people first appeared to Estonia in the 17th century. Tale says they were first part of Swedish King Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
's Gypsy orchestra which he, after spending a winter in Laiuse
Laiuse Castle
Laiuse Castle was a Livonian Order castle in Laiusevälja, Jõgeva County, Jõgeva Parish, Estonia. The castle is now in ruins....
, left behind. From that on they made a lot of trouble all around Estonia. In 1841 all of the 44 Estonian Romani were collected and settled around Laiuse
Laiuse
Laiuse is a small borough in Estonia. It is located in Jõgeva County and is a part of Jõgeva Parish. is one of the oldest in Estonia, being established in 1822. Laiuse is the location of the medieval Laiuse church. The church was first mentioned in 1319...
Parish. Of course that didn't stop them from wandering, but part of them still kept living in Laiuse. Their main stop was Raaduvere
Raaduvere
Raaduvere is a village in Jõgeva Parish, Jõgeva County in eastern Estonia....
village, but they also lived in Tähkvere, Jõgeva
Jõgeva
Jõgeva is a small town in Estonia with a population of around 6000 people. It is the administrative centre of Jõgeva County.It is known as the coldest place in Estonia with the lowest temperature of...
and it's precincts. Before the Second World War there was 60 Romani in Laiuse. Laiuse Romani became extinct
Language death
In linguistics, language death is a process that affects speech communities where the level of linguistic competence that speakers possess of a given language variety is decreased, eventually resulting in no native and/or fluent speakers of the variety...
in the German occupation, when all its speakers were killed by the Nazis during the Porajmos
Porajmos
The Porajmos was the attempt made by Nazi Germany, the Independent State of Croatia, Horthy's Hungary and their allies to exterminate the Romani people of Europe during World War II...
.
Linguistic features
Laiuse Romani shares a number of linguistic features with Finnish Kalo, such as palatalizationPalatalization
In linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate....
of velar consonant
Velar consonant
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum)....
s before front vowel
Front vowel
A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far in front as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Front vowels are sometimes also...
s and initial devoicing
Devoicing
In phonology, voicing and devoicing are sound changes, whereby a consonant changes its type of voicing from voiceless to voiced, or vice versa, due to the influence of a phonological element in its phonological environment...
.