About half of Czech Romanies speak Romany - expert
Prague, 15. 9. 2006, 12:48 (CTK)

About a half of Romanies who live in the Czech Republic may command the Romany language, Viktor Elsik, an expert from Prague's Charles University, estimated in an interview with CTK today, but said that exact surveys are yet to be completed.

About 11,700 of the Czech Republic's 10 million inhabitants presented themselves as ethnic Romanies in the latest census, held in 2001. Experts, nevertheless, estimate the number of Czech Romanies at up to 250,000.

Their Romany language proficiency differs in individual localities, Elsik told CTK.

Experts say many Romanies speak Czech with traces of Romany. Most local Romanies came to the Czech Republic from Slovakia after World War Two.

"Many of them spoke only the east Slovak dialect, often quite poorly, and they tried to talk Czech to their children," says Jan Cervenka, head of the Romany language and culture studies at Charles University's Faculty of Arts.

These problems were highlighted by a poll that the GAC agency carried out for the Labour and Social Ministry and whose results were released last week.

The poll showed that worse proficiency in Czech markedly slows down the adoption of information by Romany pupils, who thus fail at school or are transferred to special schools for less talented children.

Cervenka said that in selected localities, school teachers should be aided by assistants commanding the Romany language.

"Some Romanies could start naturally accepting school if Romany were spoken there and if lessons focused on famous Romany musicians and on Romany history," Cervenka said.

At present, the Romany language has been accredited at schools in Slovakia, where its use is much more spread. However, Slovakia lacks Romany-speaking teachers who would teach the 1st-5th grades as a transitional phase between the Romany and Slovak languages, Cervenka said.

In the Czech Republic, it would be good if the Romany language spread in some areas of practical life, but there is almost no one who could teach it, he added.

About 50 students study the Romany language at the Charles University at present, and the number of such students has been gradually rising.

On the other hand, the Romany language has been disappearing from communication. "It is spoken only at home, and only sometimes," Cervenka said.

Some Romanies view their language as a symbol of failure. Others, however, consider it a factor identifying their ethnicity and feel ashamed of their poor proficiency in it.

The Romany language is in focus of the ongoing international conference organised by Charles University in Prague, which has been attended by language experts and anthropologists from 20 academic institutions from all over the world.

CTK