Romani Language - Name

Name

Speakers of the Romani language usually refer to the language as řomani čhib "the Romani language" or řomanes "in a Rom way." This derives from the Romani word řom, meaning either "a member of the (Romani) group" or "husband". This is also where the term "Roma" derives in English, although some Roma groups refer to themselves using other demonyms (e.g. 'Kaale', 'Sinti', etc.). The English spelling "Rromani language" may also be found, reflecting a different transcription of the Romani phoneme ř.

Before the late nineteenth century, English-language texts usually referred to the language as the "Gypsy language".