the zincali-第49章

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a　particular　jargon　or　dialect；　in　which　the　former　discuss　their　



schemes　and　plans　of　plunder；　without　being　in　general　understood　



by　those　to　whom　they　are　obnoxious。　　The　name　of　this　jargon　



varies　with　the　country　in　which　it　is　spoken。　　In　Spain　it　is　



called　'Germania'；　in　France；　'Argot'；　in　Germany；　'Rothwelsch；'　or　



Red　Italian；　in　Italy；　'Gergo'；　whilst　in　England　it　is　known　by　



many　names；　for　example；　'cant；　slang；　thieves'　Latin；'　etc。　　The　



most　remarkable　circumstance　connected　with　the　history　of　this　



jargon　is；　that　in　all　the　countries　in　which　it　is　spoken；　it　has　



invariably；　by　the　authors　who　have　treated　of　it；　and　who　are　



numerous；　been　confounded　with　the　Gypsy　language；　and　asserted　to　



be　the　speech　of　those　wanderers　who　have　so　long　infested　Europe　



under　the　name　of　Gitanos；　etc。　　How　far　this　belief　is　founded　in　



justice　we　shall　now　endeavour　to　show；　with　the　premise　that　



whatever　we　advance　is　derived；　not　from　the　assertions　or　opinions　



of　others；　but　from　our　own　observation；　the　point　in　question　



being　one　which　no　person　is　capable　of　solving；　save　him　who　has　



mixed　with　Gitanos　and　thieves；　…　not　with　the　former　merely　or　the　



latter；　but　with　both。







We　have　already　stated　what　is　the　Rommany　or　language　of　the　



Gypsies。　　We　have　proved　that　when　properly　spoken　it　is　to　all　



intents　and　purposes　entitled　to　the　appellation　of　a　language；　and　



that　wherever　it　exists　it　is　virtually　the　same；　that　its　origin　



is　illustrious；　it　being　a　daughter　of　the　Sanscrit；　and　in　



consequence　in　close　connection　with　some　of　the　most　celebrated　



languages　of　the　East；　although　it　at　present　is　only　used　by　the　



most　unfortunate　and　degraded　of　beings；　wanderers　without　home　and　



almost　without　country；　as　wherever　they　are　found　they　are　



considered　in　the　light　of　foreigners　and　interlopers。　　We　shall　



now　state　what　the　language　of　thieves　is；　as　it　is　generally　



spoken　in　Europe；　after　which　we　shall　proceed　to　analyse　it　



according　to　the　various　countries　in　which　it　is　used。







The　dialect　used　for　their　own　peculiar　purposes　amongst　thieves　is　



by　no　means　entitled　to　the　appellation　of　a　language；　but　in　every　



sense　to　that　of　a　jargon　or　gibberish；　it　being　for　the　most　part　



composed　of　words　of　the　native　language　of　those　who　use　it；　



according　to　the　particular　country；　though　invariably　in　a　meaning　



differing　more　or　less　from　the　usual　and　received　one；　and　for　the　



most　part　in　a　metaphorical　sense。　　Metaphor　and　allegory；　indeed；　



seem　to　form　the　nucleus　of　this　speech；　notwithstanding　that　other　



elements　are　to　be　distinguished；　for　it　is　certain　that　in　every　



country　where　it　is　spoken；　it　contains　many　words　differing　from　



the　language　of　that　country；　and　which　may　either　be　traced　to　



foreign　tongues；　or　are　of　an　origin　at　which；　in　many　instances；　



it　is　impossible　to　arrive。　　That　which　is　most　calculated　to　



strike　the　philosophic　mind　when　considering　this　dialect；　is　



doubtless　the　fact　of　its　being　formed　everywhere　upon　the　same　



principle　…　that　of　metaphor；　in　which　point　all　the　branches　



agree；　though　in　others　they　differ　as　much　from　each　other　as　the　



languages　on　which　they　are　founded；　for　example；　as　the　English　



and　German　from　the　Spanish　and　Italian。　　This　circumstance　



naturally　leads　to　the　conclusion　that　the　robber　language　has　not　



arisen　fortuitously　in　the　various　countries　where　it　is　at　present　



spoken；　but　that　its　origin　is　one　and　the　same；　it　being　probably　



invented　by　the　outlaws　of　one　particular　country；　by　individuals　



of　which　it　was；　in　course　of　time；　carried　to　others；　where　its　



principles；　if　not　its　words；　were　adopted；　for　upon　no　other　



supposition　can　we　account　for　its　general　metaphorical　character　



in　regions　various　and　distant。　　It　is；　of　course；　impossible　to　



state　with　certainty　the　country　in　which　this　jargon　first　arose；　



yet　there　is　cogent　reason　for　supposing　that　it　may　have　been　



Italy。　　The　Germans　call　it　Rothwelsch；　which　signifies　'Red　



Italian；'　a　name　which　appears　to　point　out　Italy　as　its　



birthplace；　and　which；　though　by　no　means　of　sufficient　importance　



to　determine　the　question；　is　strongly　corroborative　of　the　



supposition；　when　coupled　with　the　following　fact。　　We　have　already　



intimated；　that　wherever　it　is　spoken；　this　speech；　though　composed　



for　the　most　part　of　words　of　the　language　of　the　particular　



country；　applied　in　a　metaphorical　sense；　exhibits　a　considerable　



sprinkling　of　foreign　words；　now　of　these　words　no　slight　number　



are　Italian　or　bastard　Latin；　whether　in　Germany；　whether　in　Spain；　



or　in　other　countries　more　or　less　remote　from　Italy。　　When　we　



consider　the　ignorance　of　thieves　in　general；　their　total　want　of　



education；　the　slight　knowledge　which　they　possess　even　of　their　



mother　tongue；　it　is　hardly　reasonable　to　suppose　that　in　any　



country　they　were　ever　capable　of　having　recourse　to　foreign　



languages；　for　the　purpose　of　enriching　any　peculiar　vocabulary　or　



phraseology　which　they　might　deem　convenient　to　use　among　



themselves；　nevertheless；　by　associating　with　foreign　thieves；　who　



had　either　left　their　native　country　for　their　crimes；　or　from　a　



hope　of　reaping　a　rich　harvest　of　plunder　in　other　lands；　it　would　



be　easy　for　them　to　adopt　a　considerable　number　of　words　belonging　



to　the　languages　of　their　foreign　associates；　from　whom　perhaps　



they　derived　an　increase　of　knowledge　in　thievish　arts　of　every　



description。　　At　the　commencement　of　the　fifteenth　century　no　



nation　in　Europe　was　at　all　calculated　to　vie　with　the　Italian　in　



arts　of　any　kind；　whether　those　whose　tendency　was　the　benefit　or　



improvement　of　society；　or　those　the　practice　of　which　serves　to　



injure　and　undermine　it。　　The　artists　and　artisans　of　Italy　were　to　



be　found　in　all　the　countries　of　Europe；　from　Madrid　to　Moscow；　and　



so　were　its　charlatans；　its　jugglers；　and　multitudes　of　its　



children；　who　lived　by　fraud　and　cunning。　　Therefore；　when　a　



comprehensive　view　of　the　subject　is　taken；　there　appears　to　be　



little　improbability　in　supposing；　that　not　only　were　the　Italians　



the　originators　of　the　metaphorical　robber　jargon；　which　has　been　



termed　'Red　Italian；'　but　that　they　were　mainly　instrumental　in　



causing　it　to　be　adopted　by　the　thievish　race　in　various　countries　



of　Europe。







It　is　here；　however；　necessary　to　state；　that　in　the　robber　jargon　



of　Europe；　elements　of　another　language　are　to　be　discovered；　and　



perhaps　in　greater　number　than　the　Italian　words。　　The　language　



which　we　allude　to　is　the　Rommany；　this　language　has　been；　in　



general；　confounded　with　the　vocabulary　used　among　thieves；　which；　



however；　is　a　gross　error；　so　gross；　indeed；　that　it　is　almost　



impossible　to　conceive　the　manner　in　which　it　originated：　　the　



speech　of　the　Gypsies　being　a　genuine　language　of　Oriental　origin；　



and　the　former　little　more　than　a　phraseology　of　convenience；　



founded　upon　particular　European　tongues。　　It　will　be　sufficient　



here　to　remark；　that　the　Gypsies　do　not　understand　the　jargon　of　



the　thieves；　whilst　the　latter；　with　perhaps　a　few　exceptions；　are　



ignorant　of　the　language　of　the　former。　　Certain　words；　however；　of　



the　Rommany　have　found　admission　into　the　said　jargon；　which　may　be　



accounted　for　by　the　supposition　that　the　Gypsies；　being　themselves　



by　birth；　education；　and　profession；　thieves　of　the　first　water；　



have；　on　various　occasions；　formed　alliances　with　the　outlaws　of　



the　various　countries　in　which　they　are　at　present　to　be　found；　



which　association　may　have　produced　the　result　above　alluded　to；　



but　it　will　be　as　well　here　to　state；　that　in　no　country　of　Europe　



have　the　Gypsies　forsaken　or　forgotten　their　native　tongue；　and　in　



its　stead　adopted　the　'Germania；'　'Red　Italian；'　or　robber　jargon；　



although　in　some　they　preserve　their　native　language　in　a　state　of　



less　purity　than　in　others。　　We　are　induced　to　make　this　statement　



from　an　assertion　of　the　celebrated　Lorenzo　Hervas；　who；　in　the　



third　volume　of　his　CATALOGO　DE　LAS　LENGUAS；　trat。　3；　cap。　vi。；　p。　



311；　expresses　himself　to　the　following　effect：…　'The　proper　



language　of　the　Gitanos　neither　is　nor　can　be　found　amongst　those　



who　scattered　themselves　through　the　western　kingdoms　of　Europe；　



but　only　amongst　those　who　remained　in　the　eastern；　where　they　are　



still　to　be　found。　　The　former　were　notably　divided　and　disunited；　



receiving　into　their　body　a　great　number　of　European　outlaws；　on　



which　account　the　language　in　question　was　easily　adulterated　and　



soon　perished。　　In　Spain；　and　also　in　Italy；　the　Gitanos　have　



totally　forgotten　and　lost　their　native　language；　yet　still　wishing　



to　converse　with　each　other　in　a　language　unknown　to　the　Spaniards　



and　Italians；　they　have　invented　some　words；　and　have　transformed　



many　others　by　changing　the　signification　which　properly　belongs　to　



them　in　Spanish　and　Italian。'　　In　proof　of　which　assertion　he　then　



exhibits　a　small　number　of　words　of　the　'Red　Italian；'　or　



allegorical　tongue　of　the　thieves　of　Italy。







It　is　much　to　be　lamented　that　a　man　like　Hervas；　so　learned；　of　



such　knowledge；　and　upon　the　whole　well…earned　celebrity；　should　



have　helped　to　propagate　three　such　flagrant　errors　as　are　



contained　in　the　passages　above　quoted：　　1st。　　That　the　Gypsy　



language；　within　a　very　short　period　after　the　arrival　of　those　who　



spoke　it　in　the　western　kingdoms　of　Europe；　became　corrupted；　and　



perished　by　the　admission　of　outlaws　into　the　Gypsy　fraternity。　　



2ndly。　　That　the　Gypsies；　in　order　to　supply　the　loss　of　their　



native　tongue；　invented　some　words；　and　modified　others；　from　the　



Spanish　and　Italian。　　3rdly。　　That　the　Gypsies　of　the　present　day　



in　Spain　and　Italy　speak　the　allegorical　robber　dialect。　　



Concerning　the　first　assertion；　namely；　that　the　Gypsies　of　the　



west　lost　their　language　shortly　after　their　arrival；　by　mixing　



with　the　outlaws　of　those　parts；　we　believe　that　its　erroneousness　



will　be　sufficiently　established　by　the　publication　of　the　present　



volume；　which　contains　a　dictionary　of　the　Spanish　Gitano；　which　we　



have　proved　to　be　the　same　language　in　most　points　as　that　spoken　



by　the　eastern　tribes。　　There　can　be　no　doubt　that　the　Gypsies　have　



at　various　times　formed　alliances　with　the　robbers　of　particular　



countries；　but　that　they　ever　received　them　in　considerable　numbers　



into　their　fraternity；　as　Hervas　has　stated；　so　as　to　become　



confounded　with　them；　the　evidence　of　our　eyesight　precludes　the　



possibility　of　believing。　　If　such