It may interest the reader to know how the idea originated that the Gipsies, at all events their speech, came, or was thought to have come, from Hindostan. According to Grellmann, it was in this way:
“The following is an article to be found in the Vienna Gazette, from a Captain Szekely, who was thinking of searching for (the origin of) the Gipsies, and their language, in the East Indies: In the year 1763, on the 6th of November, a printer, whose name was Stephen Pap Szathmar Nemethi, came to see me. Talking upon various subjects, we at last fell upon that of the Gipsies; and my guest related to me the following anecdote, from the mouth of a preacher of the Reformed Church, Stephen Vali, at Almasch. When the said Vali studied at the University of Leyden, he was intimately acquainted with some young Malabars, of whom three are obliged constantly to study there; nor can they return home till relieved by three others. Having observed that their native language bore a great affinity to that spoken by the Gipsies, he availed himself of the opportunity to note down from themselves upwards of one thousand words, together with their significations. After Vali was returned from the University, he informed himself of the Raber Gipsies, concerning the meaning of his Malabar words, which they explained without trouble or hesitation.”[216]
None of the Scottish Gipsy words have as yet, I believe, been collated with the Hindostanee, the supposed mother tongue of the Gipsies.[217] I showed my list to a gentleman lately from India, who, at first sight, pointed out, from among several hundred words and sentences scattered through these pages, about thirty-nine which very closely resembled Hindostanee. But in ascertaining the origin of the Gipsies, the traveller, Dr. Bright, thinks it would be desirable to procure some of the speech of the lowest classes in India, and compare it with the Gipsy, as spoken in Europe; for the purpose of showing, more correctly, the affinity of the two languages. He supposes, as I understand him, that the terms used by the despised and unlettered Gipsies would probably resemble more closely the vulgar idiom of the lowest castes in India, than the Hindostanee spoken by the higher ranks, or that which is to be found in books. The following facts show that Dr. Bright’s conjectures are not far from the truth.
I had occasion at one time to be on board of a vessel lying in the harbour of Limekilns, Fifeshire, where I observed a black man, acting as cook, of the name of John Lobbs, about twenty-five years of age, and a native of Bombay, who could neither read nor write any language whatever. He stated that he was now a Christian, and had been baptized by the name of John. He had been absent from India three years, as cabin boy, in several British vessels, and spoke English well. He appeared to be of a low caste in his native land, but sharpened by his contact with Europeans. Recollecting Dr. Bright’s hint, it occurred to me that this Hindoo’s vulgar dialect might resemble the language of our Scottish Gipsies. I repeated to him about one hundred and eighty Gipsy words and expressions. The greater part were familiar to his ear, but many of them that meant one thing in Gipsy, had quite a different signification in his speech. I shall, however, give the following Gipsy words, with the corresponding words of Lobb’s language, and the English opposite.[218]
| SCOTTISH GIPSY. | JOHN LOBBS’ HINDOSTANEE. | ENGLISH. |
| Baurie, great, grand, rich. | Bura, | Grand, good, great, rich. |
| Been, great, grand, rich. | Beenie, | Grand, good, great, rich. |
| Callo, | Kala, | Black. |
| Lon, | Loon, | Salt. |
| Gourie, a man. | Gowra, | White man. |
| Gaugie, a man. | Gaugie, or Fraugie, | Rich man. |
| Mort, a wife. | Murgia, | Dead wife. |
| Chavo, | Chokna, | A boy, a son. |
| Praw, | Praw, | Son. |
| Prawl, | Prawl, | Daughter. |
| Nais-gaugie, grandfather. | Nais gaugie, | Old man. |
| Nais-mort, grandmother. | Nais mort, | Old woman. |
| Riah, | Riah, | A chief, a gentleman. |
| Rajah, a chief, governor, | Rajah, | A chief, a lord. |
| Raunie, lady, wife of a gentleman. | Raunie, | The wife of a prince. |
| Been riah, | Beenie riah, | The king. |
| Been raunie, | Beenie raunie, | The queen. |
| Been gourie, | Beenie gourie, | A gentleman. |
| Bauree rajah, | Bura rajah, | The king. |
| Baurie raunie, | Bura raunie, | The queen. |
| Baurie forest, | Bura frost, bura malook, | Great town. |
| Baurie paunie, | Bura paunie, | The sea, the great water. |
| Lon paunie, | Loon paunie, | Salt water, the ocean. |
| Grye, | Ghora, | Horse. |
| Prancie, a horse. | Prawncie, | A gentleman’s carriage. |
| Gournie, | Goroo, | A cow. |
| Backra, | Buckra, | A sheep. |
| Sherro, | Sir, | Head. |
| Yak, | Aukh, | Eye. |
| Yaka, | Aukha, | Eyes. |
| Nak, | Nak, | Nose. |
| Mooie, | Mooih, | Mouth. |
| Chee, | Jeebh, | The tongue. |
| Chee chee, | Choopra, | Hold your tongue. |
| Femmel, hand. | Fingal, | Ends of the fingers. |
| Vast, | Wast, | The hand. |
| Peerie, | Peir, | The foot. |
| Gave, | Gaw, | Village. |
| Kair, | Gur, | A house. |
| Wautheriz, | Waudrie, | A bed. |
| Outhrie, a window. | Outrie, Durvaja, | A door. |
| Eegees, bed clothes. | Eegees, | Bed curtains. |
| Shuch-hamie, | Shuamie, | A waistcoat. |
| Jair-dah, | Jairda, | Woman’s apron. |
| Gawd, | Dowglaw, | A man’s shirt. |
| Teeyakas, | Teeyaka, | Shoes. |
| Scaf, a hat. | Scaf, a small piece of cloth tied around the head, like a fillet. | |
| Skews, | Skows, | Platters, jugs. |
| Chowrie, | Choree, | Knife. |
| Harro, | Dhoro, | Sword. |
| Sauster, iron. | Sauspoon, | Iron pot-lid, iron. |
| Mass, | Mass, | Flesh. |
| Thood, | Doodh, | Milk. |
| Chizcazin, cheese. | Chizcaizim, | Cheese-knife. |
| Blaw, meal. | Blaw, | Indian corn. |
| Flatrin, | Flatrin, | Fish of any kind. |
| Shaucha, broth | Shoorwa, | Soup. |
| Molzie, | Mool, | Wine. |
| Romanie, whiskey. | Rominie, | Spirits, liquor. |
| Mumlie, a candle. | Membootie, | Candles. |
| Fluffan, | Floofan, | Smoking tobacco. |
| Yak, | Ag, | Fire. |
| Paunie, | Paunie, | Water. |
| Casties, | Cashtes, | Fruit trees. |
| Bar, | Dunbar, | A stone. |
| Sonnakie, | Sona, | Gold. |
| Roug, | Roopa, | Silver. |
| Chinda, silver. | Chindee, | Silver, tin. |
| Geeve, | Guing, | Wheat. |
| Mang, | Chan, Jung, | The moon. |
| Bumie, | Boomie, | To drink. |
| Mar, | Marna, | To strike. |
| Rauge, | Rawd, | Mad. |
| Choar, | Chorna, | To steal. |
| Chor, | Chor, | Thief. |
| Humff, | Huff, | Give me. |
| Moolie, death, to die, dead. | Moola, | Dead. |
| Quad, | Quid, | Prison. |
| Staurdie, prison. | Staurdee, | A prison, to confine, hold. |
| Jaw vree, | Jowa, | Go away. |
| Auvie, | Aow, | Coming, come here. |
| Davies, | Din, | Day. |
| Rat, | Raut, | Night. |
| Pagrin, | Pawgrin, | To break. |
| Davies-pagrin, | Dawis-pawgrin, | Day-break, the morning. |
| Klistie, a soldier. | Kleestie, | Black soldier, Sepoy. |
| Nash, deserter. | Natch, | To run away. |
| Loudnie, | Loonie, | A bad woman.[219] |
My informant understood, he said, two of the dialects of Hindostan, the one called the Hindoo, and the other the Moors’ language. The former, he said, the English in India generally spoke, but understood little of the latter; and that he himself did not know a word of the language of the Brahmins. When he failed to produce, in the Moors’ language, the word corresponding to the Gipsy one, he frequently found it in what he called the Hindoo speech. The greater part of the Gipsy words, as I have already mentioned, were familiar to his ear; but many of them that signified one thing in his speech, meant quite another in Gipsy. For example, the word Graunagie, in Gipsy, signifies a barn; with Lobbs, it meant an old rich man. Coories, bed clothes or blankets, signified, in Lobbs’ dialect, ornaments for the ears. Dill, a servant maid, according to Lobbs, was a church. Shan davies, a bad day, was the Hindostanee for holiday. Managie, a woman, signifies the name of a person, such as John or James. Chavo, a son, meant a female child; and Pooklie, hulled barley, anything fine. The two Gipsy words Callo and Rat are black and night; but, according to Lobbs, Callorat is simply anything dark.[220]
To confirm my collection of Scottish Gipsy words, I will collate some of those which I sent to Sir Walter Scott, for examination but not for publication, with those to be found in Mr. Baird’s report, a publication which I first saw in 1842.
The following Scottish Gipsy words appear to have some relation to the Sanscrit:
| SCOTTISH GIPSY. | SANSCRIT. | ENGLISH. |
| Yag, | Agnish, | Fire. |
| Paurie, | Varni, | Water. |
| Casties, | Cashth, | Wood. |
| Duff, | Dhupah, | Smoke. |
| Sneepa, | Sweta, | White. |
| Callo, | Cala, | Black. |
| Sherro, | Sira, | The head. |
| Rajah, | Rajah, | Lord. |
| Vast, | Hastah, | The hand. |
| Praw, | Putra, | Son. |
| Gave, or Gan, | Gramam, | A village. |
| Mar, | Mar, | To strike. |
| Loudnie, | Lodha, loved, | A whore. |