Gadji
Encyclopedia
Gadjo is a term of Romani philosophy that means a person who has no Romanipen
. Usually, that's a person who is not an ethnic Romani, but also it can be an ethnic Romani who does not live within the Romani culture.
It is a term used to address or denote their "outsider" neighbors living within or very near their community, in concept similar to the way the Amish
use "English" for their non-Amish neighbors, and somewhat similar to the way African Americans use the terms brothers, sisters and soul, to distinguish from their very near but different or "outsider" neighbors.
Romanies of the Western Europe and Americas often interpret gadjos as "impure" persons because they think that only following Romani Code may make a person be "pure".
In the Latin world, the derived gachó and gachí, after passing through Caló
, have come to mean "man, lover" and "woman, girl".
and North East England
, is another form of the original Romani word.
'Gadjo' is also used as a slang word in France, notably in the south where it carries the same meaning as 'Gadgie'
An alternate form of "Gadjo" is "Gajo", which is extensively used in Portugal.
The Bulgarian word "гадже" , neuter gender, means 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' and is the most widely used word with this meaning.
Romanian nouns "gagic" and "gagică" mean "boyfriend" and "girlfriend", but they may also mean "guy" and "girl".
Romanipen
Romanipen is a complicated term of Romani philosophy that means totality of the Romani spirit, Romani culture, Romani Law, being a Romani, a set of Romani strains....
. Usually, that's a person who is not an ethnic Romani, but also it can be an ethnic Romani who does not live within the Romani culture.
It is a term used to address or denote their "outsider" neighbors living within or very near their community, in concept similar to the way the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
use "English" for their non-Amish neighbors, and somewhat similar to the way African Americans use the terms brothers, sisters and soul, to distinguish from their very near but different or "outsider" neighbors.
Romanies of the Western Europe and Americas often interpret gadjos as "impure" persons because they think that only following Romani Code may make a person be "pure".
Etymology
The exact origin of the word is not known. One theory considers that the word comes from the proto-Romani word for "peasant" and has the same root as the Romani word "gav" (a village). Romani ancestors were nomadic musicians and craftspeople; they did not live in villages.In the Latin world, the derived gachó and gachí, after passing through Caló
Caló (Spanish Romani)
Caló is a language spoken by the Spanish and Portuguese Romani. It is a mixed language based on Romance grammar, with an adstratum of Romani lexical items through language shift by the Romani community. It is often used as an argot, a secret language for discreet communication amongst Iberian...
, have come to mean "man, lover" and "woman, girl".
Derivatives
The slang word 'Gadgie', widely used in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, is another form of the original Romani word.
'Gadjo' is also used as a slang word in France, notably in the south where it carries the same meaning as 'Gadgie'
An alternate form of "Gadjo" is "Gajo", which is extensively used in Portugal.
The Bulgarian word "гадже" , neuter gender, means 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' and is the most widely used word with this meaning.
Romanian nouns "gagic" and "gagică" mean "boyfriend" and "girlfriend", but they may also mean "guy" and "girl".
See also
- Gadjo diloGadjo diloGadjo dilo is a 1997 film, directed and written by Tony Gatlif. The title means "Crazy Gadjo [non-Gypsy]" in Romani.Most of the film was shot at the village of Creţuleşti some kilometers from Bucharest and some of the actors are local Romani people.-Plot:...
("The crazy gadjo") is a French-Romanian film about a Frenchman who travels to Romania after a Romani musician. - RomanipenRomanipenRomanipen is a complicated term of Romani philosophy that means totality of the Romani spirit, Romani culture, Romani Law, being a Romani, a set of Romani strains....
External links
- Caravan goes away in Russian
- Excerpts from Roma by WR Rishi: ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "GAJO" http://web.archive.org/web/20080514005741/http://www.romani.org/rishi/retygajo.html