Vol1No3Fall/Winter2000

LearningDomariUnit2
CompiledbyDr.DonaldKenrick
DothesepeopleIknowspeakDomari?(2)
InEgypttherearethreedialectsspokenbyGypsylikeclans:Domari,EuropeanRomaniandavarietyof
ArabicwhichsomepeoplecallSim.Themajorityofpeoplecalled'Ghajar'byEgyptiansdonotspeak
DomaributSimusingmanywordswhicharenotknowntotheEgyptians.Abetterclannametousefor
themwouldbeHelebi.
Examplesofthesewordsare:
mebradishormasaqiash
mishwashesh
shamala
sanwa

cold
tent
hand
dog

ThesewordsaresuggestedtoseeifparticularGypsiesareinfactHelebi.Simisstillconsideredtobea
secretlanguageandattemptstolearnthevocabularymaybemisunderstood.
HowtolearnDomari
ThiscourseisnotdesignedforyoutostudyalltheunitsandthengooutspeakingfluentDomari.Like
thesistercourseLearnRomaniitistobeusedalongsideworkwithaDomari'informant.'
IsuggestyoustarteachsessionbyspeakingDomariforaslongaspossible,usingyourexisting
knowledge.Afterformalgreetings,askabouthealth,discusstheweather.Thenusesomeofthewords
(below).Thenmoveontonewwork.Getsentences,shortaccountsofwhatyourinformantdidyesterday
orwilldolatertoday.Comparethesewiththegrammarinthelessons.Ifsomethingdoesnotcorrespond
tothelessons,theDomarispeakerisright.Thismaybebecauseofdialectdifferences,olderpeople
preservingoldtraditional(historical)forms,youngerpeoplechangingthelanguage,orsomethingthat
willbemadeclearinalaterunit.Thentellhim/herwhatyouaredoingordid.Noteanycorrections.
Buildupyourowndictionarywitheachwordillustratedbyasentenceifpossible.
Anoteonpronunciation
Theunitsdonotgenerallypointoutlongandshortvowels(orindeedmediumlengthvowels),orthe
'neutral'vowelasthesecondvowelinEnglish'father'.Thisispartlybecauseofthedifficultyofsending
thisinformationclearlyforthoseofyouwhoarereceivingtheunitsbyemailsystemwithoutaccents
justasunderliningandboldlettersdisappear.Butyoucanworkoutawayforyourselfwherelengthis
importantforunderstanding:alongvowelasaaforexample.Alsoyoucanmarkthestresswithwhat
theFrenchcallanacuteaccent.(accentaigu).
THENOUNANDITSENDINGS

Masculineandfeminine
ThoselearnerswhohavestudiedFrench,GermanorSpanishwillnotbesurprisedtofindthatevery
object(notjustaperson)istreatedgrammaticallyasifitwaseithermasculineorfeminine.Thinkofle
painandlapomme.
ThisdoesnotmeanthatDomorFrenchspeakersthink,forexample,that'bread'ismasculineand'water'
feminine.WecoulddividewordsintosaygroupAandgroupBbutthereisanestablishedconventionin
languageteachingtousetheterms'masculine'and'feminine'.Masculineandfemininenounsreferringto
objectsdoaffectotherwordsinthesentenceinthesamewayasdothewordsformaleorfemalepersons.
GroupA(masculine)nounsendina,ooraconsonant
GroupB(feminine)nounsusuallyendinioraconsonant.
Somedialectsalsohaveatraditional(historical)neutergenderendinginaconsonant
Lookattheexamplesbelow.

kadja
zaro
manus

Masculine
nonDom(compare
Romany'Gorgio')
boy
man

Feminine
kadji

nonDomwoman

kuri

house

Adjectives(describingwords)endinaforthemasculineandiforthefeminine

kushtotazaro

Masculine
littleboy

kushtotilafti

Feminine
littlegirl

Stressontheo
Plural
Acommonwayofformingthepluralisbychangingtheendingsooratoeoraddingetoanoun
endingini.
Forexamplekadjabecomeskajje,kadjibecomeskadjie,zarobecomeszare,andlaftibeomeslaftie.
Endings(caseendings)forthenoun
NounshaveendingswhereoftenEnglishusesaprepositionbeforethenoun.
Forexample'in(a)village'becomes'villagein'
Firstyouneedtolearntheformsanountakeswhenitistheobjectofanaction.

Mostnounsendinginaandoadds
Mostnounsendinginaconsonantaddas*
*This'a'isveryshortandshouldbepronouncedasthe'er'infather.
Exceptionswillbelistedinalaterunit
Nounsendinginiadda
Examplesofthechangeswhenanounistheobjectofanaction:
kadja
zaro
manus
kadji

>
>
>
>

kadjas
zaros
mansas
kadjia

Thesechangesshouldalwaysbemadewhenthenounisapersonoranimal.Theycanbeignoredforthe
presentbythebeginnerwhenthenounisathing.Moreonthisinalaterunit.
Butwhenweaddthesocalledcaseendingstheyarenormallyaddedtothisobject(accusative)form.
Inthisunitweonlylookindetailatonecaseendingma(in,withaninstrument).
kuriis'house'
Isawthehousecanbe:
dakardomkuri
or
dakardomkuria
But'inthehouse'hastheending'ma'addedtotheform'kuria'
so
kuriamameans'inthehouse'
kuriamanmameans'inourhouse'(alsokuriaminma)
Notetheusage:DomasmaorDomariyasma=intheDomarilanguage
VERBS
Thepasttenseofverbs
FirstrevisetheendingsoftheverbinthepresentinUnit1(nanamietc).Makesureyouknowthemby
heart.
Manyverbsformthepastbyaddingdtothestem(basicform)ofthepresentandthenasetofendings
whicharenotthesameasthoseusedinthepresent.Youwillseetheyarethesameasthoseof'stom'
giveninUnit1('Iam'orinsomedialects'Iwas').

nandom
nandor
nanda
nandi

Ibrought
youbrought
hebrought
shebrought

nanden
nandes
nande

webrought
you*brought
theybrought

*morethanoneperson
Youmustlearnthoroughlytheverbendingsforthepresentandthepast
chahadaorshahadahesaid*
Manywordswhichtraditionally(historically)have'ch'changethisto'sh'wherethelanguageofthe
majoritypopulationisArabic.
So'chona'or'shona'anotherwordfor'aboy'
Youwillalsohear
nandoshe(she)brought
nandend(ornanded)theybrought
beforeapronounobject(seebelow)
Ifaverbhasapronounobject(me,you,himetc)thisisaddedattheendoftheverb
nanandisantheybringthem
nandendsantheybroughtthem
laherdossanhesaw(found)them
Revisetheendings(possessivepronouns)inUnit1.Theseareusedforpronounobjects
compare:
namummyname
laherdosumhesaw(found)me
Irregularpasttenses
garahewent(alsominda)
arahecame
Asadtale
Beforeyougoontomoregrammar,lookatthisstory.ItisoneofseveralpublishedintheGypsyLore
SocietyJournalbyRobertMacalister,oneofthefewEuropeanswhohavestudiedDomarilanguage.
SomeofthestoriesareoriginalDomtales,othersaretranslationsofastorytoldinArabic.
Garenamaubaiomuzaro,pitrom.
GarenHaurinita.
Sitenpandasma
Arauhuqautar

pardazares.
Rorename,amaudaius
Garen
dfinkerdeniszares.
umandenis
Sitendeasma.
Areqaute,pardekiyekmanunasre.
Wewent,Iandmywifeandaboy,myson
WewenttoHaurin
Weslepton/intheroad
Thishyenacame
hetooktheboy.
Wecried,Iandhismother.,
Wewent.
weburiedhim,theboy
andwelefthim.
Wesleptinthevillage.
Thievescame,theytookourthingsandranaway.
TrythisstoryonyourDomcontactsandnoteanythingtheysayaboutanydifferencesintheirdialect.
Notesonthestory:
Donotconfuse'bai'(=djar'wife')with'boi'(father)
dfinkerdenliterally'wedidburial.'
Therearemanyphraseswithker(do,make)andanoun
wecried(past)roren
wecry(present)ruwani
Haurinita.ToHaurin
tameaning'to'isusedinthesamewayasma
Withregardtothesecondi,IamgratefultoYaronMatrasforpointingoutinhisarticle(seebelow)
thatwithplacenames,thefinalvowelisrepeatedstressedtogivetheequivalentoftheaccusative
(object)formbeforeanadditionsuchastaorma.
SowefindAmmanama(inAmman)
Thecaseendings
Wegiveheretheendingsofthenoun.Atthisstageusethelistforreference.Theywillbedealtwithin
futureunits.
Object/accusative(seeabove)s,a
Theendingsbelowarenormallyaddedaftersora
ma
ta
ki

in,with(athing)
to
from,of

kara
sanni

towards
with(togetherwithaperson)

Somewordstolearnforfoodandeating
ana
ata
bokal
chiri,shuri
drak
gir
kir
kirwi
lon
mana
mashi
masi
pani
pirum
piyami
shay

egg
flour
hungry
knife
grapes
butter
milk(sometimes=cheese)
coffee(alsoqahwa,qahve*from
Arabic)
salt
bread
fish
meat
water(alsome)
Idrank
Idrink
tea

*ahweinJerusalem.IfyournativelanguageisFrenchyouwillneedtoconsciouslyputaglottalstop
(seepronunciationguideinUnit1)atthebeginning.?ahwe.
IngeneralanywordborrowedfromArabicwillbeinthepronunciationofthelocaldialect.
Inthisunit,andindeedinlaterunits,IammakinguseoftheanalysisofgrammarinMatras'article"The
stateofPresentDayDomariinJerusalem"inMediterraneanLanguageReview(Wiesbaden)11(1999).
Thisreflectschangesinthelanguageovertheyearsandalsogivesamoredetailedanalysisthandid
Macalister.Ihavehoweversimplifedsomeoftheexplanationsforthebenefitofthelearnerwithlittle
previousexperienceofstudyinglanguagesoroflinguisticterminology.
Keepthevocabularyandsentencesyouarecollectingrollingin.AlthoughIhavenointentionofwriting
astudyofthedialectsofDomari,itwouldbehelpfultoknowwherethesecomefromcountryandname
oftheclan(Dom,Gorbatetc)andtheageoftheinformant.

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