Transcribed from the 1905 John Murray edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
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“Can you rokra Romany?
Can you play the bosh?
Can you jal adrey the staripen?
Can you chin the cost?”“Can you speak the Roman tongue?
Can you play the fiddle?
Can you eat the prison-loaf?
Can you cut and whittle?”
ROMANO LAVO-LIL
WORD-BOOK OF THE ROMANY
OR, ENGLISH GYPSY LANGUAGE
WITH SPECIMENS OF GYPSY POETRY, AND AN
ACCOUNT OF CERTAIN GYPSYRIES OR
PLACES INHABITED BY THEM, AND
OF VARIOUS THINGS RELATING TO
GYPSY LIFE IN ENGLAND
By GEORGE BORROW
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1905
PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
The Author of the present work wishes to state that the Vocabulary, which forms part of it, has existed in manuscript for many years. It is one of several vocabularies of various dialects of the Gypsy tongue, made by him in different countries. The most considerable—that of the dialect of the Zincali or Rumijelies (Romany Chals) of Spain—was published in the year 1841. Amongst those which remain unpublished is one of the Transylvanian Gypsy, made principally at Kolosvār in the year 1844.
December 1, 1873.