Language consequences of Migration of Romani speakers from Slovakia to Great Britain and back: the Change of Paradigm of Town Names in two Romani dialects (Summer school lecture)
Abstract
The lecture focused on language changes in Romani spoken by Slovak emigrants to England and re-emigrants to Slovakia or by people residing alternately in both the countries as the case may be. The changes were monitored separately in two Romani groups: the so called Slovak Roma (speakers of the Northern-Central dialect of Romani) and the Vlax Roma (speakers of the Slovak variety of the Lovari dialect).
I addressed the way the language is influenced both by the changes of the environment and lifestyle and the changes of the contact language. I mostly focused on adult respondents whose contact language has really changed during their life.
I concentrated on one striking and unexpected change: the change of the system according to which toponyms, specifically town names, are created in Romani. First I submited the survey of the system in the pre-emigration situation that has not been systematically published for either of the examined dialects.
Further on I introduced the changes the described system has gone through in both the dialects due to the influence of migration to Western Europe and I cautiously attempedt to suggest interpretation of the examined phenomenon.