The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of SpainBorrow, George
History
The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain
Borrow, George
Romanies -- Languages; Romanies -- Spain
Those who have done me the honour to peruse this strange wandering book
of mine, must frequently have noticed the word ‘Busno,’ a term bestowed
by the Spanish Gypsy on his good friend the Spaniard. As the present
will probably be the last occasion which I shall have to speak of the
Gitános or anything relating to them, it will perhaps be advisable to
explain the meaning of this word. In the vocabulary appended to former
editions I have translated Busno by such words as Gentile, savage, person
who is not a Gypsy, and have stated that it is probably connected with a
certain Sanscrit noun signifying an impure person. It is, however,
derived immediately from a Hungarian term, exceedingly common amongst the
lower orders of the Magyars, to their disgrace be it spoken. The
Hungarian Gypsies themselves not unfrequently style the Hungarians
Busnoes, in ridicule of their unceasing use of the word in question. The
first Gypsies who entered Spain doubtless brought with them the term from
Hungary, the language of which country they probably understood to a
certain extent. That it was not ill applied by them in Spain no one will
be disposed to deny when told that it exactly corresponds with the
Shibboleth of the Spaniards, ‘Carajo,’ an oath equally common in Spain as
its equivalent in Hungary. Busno, therefore, in Spanish means _El del
carajo_, or he who has that term continually in his mouth. The Hungarian
words in Spanish Gypsy may amount to ten or twelve, a very inconsiderable
number; but the Hungarian Gypsy tongue itself, as spoken at the present
day, exhibits only a slight sprinkling of Hungarian words, whilst it
contains many words borrowed from the Wallachian, some of which have
found their way into Spain, and are in common use amongst the Gitános.
SPECIMENS OF GYPSY DIALECTS
THE ENGLISH DIALECT OF THE ROMMANY
‘TACHIPEN if I jaw ’doi, I can lel a bit of tan to hatch: N’etist I
shan’t puch kekomi wafu gorgies.’
The above sentence, dear reader, I heard from the mouth of Mr.
Petulengro, the last time that he did me the honour to visit me at my
poor house, which was the day after Mol-divvus {359}, 1842: he stayed
with me during the greater part of the morning, discoursing on the
affairs of Egypt, the aspect of which, he assured me, was becoming daily
worse and worse. ‘There is no living for the poor people, brother,’ said
he, ‘the chokengres (police) pursue us from place to place, and the
gorgios are become either so poor or miserly, that they grudge our cattle
a bite of grass by the wayside, and ourselves a yard of ground to light a
fire upon. Unless times alter, brother, and of that I see no
probability, unless you are made either poknees or mecralliskoe geiro
(justice of the peace or prime minister), I am afraid the poor persons
will have to give up wandering altogether, and then what will become of
them?’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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