the zincali-第59节

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still　remain；　preserved　by　memory　amongst　the　Gitanos；　its　



grammatical　peculiarities　have　disappeared；　the　entire　language　



having　been　modified　and　subjected　to　the　rules　of　Spanish　grammar；　



with　which　it　now　coincides　in　syntax；　in　the　conjugation　of　verbs；　



and　in　the　declension　of　its　nouns。　　Were　it　possible　or　necessary　



to　collect　all　the　relics　of　this　speech；　they　would　probably　



amount　to　four　or　five　thousand　words；　but　to　effect　such　an　



achievement；　it　would　be　necessary　to　hold　close　and　long　



intercourse　with　almost　every　Gitano　in　Spain；　and　to　extract；　by　



various　means；　the　peculiar　information　which　he　might　be　capable　



of　affording；　for　it　is　necessary　to　state　here；　that　though　such　



an　amount　of　words　may　still　exist　amongst　the　Gitanos　in　general；　



no　single　individual　of　their　sect　is　in　possession　of　one…third　



part　thereof；　nor　indeed；　we　may　add；　those　of　any　single　city　or　



province　of　Spain；　nevertheless　all　are　in　possession；　more　or　



less；　of　the　language；　so　that；　though　of　different　provinces；　they　



are　enabled　to　understand　each　other　tolerably　well；　when　



discoursing　in　this　their　characteristic　speech。　　Those　who　travel　



most　are　of　course　best　versed　in　it；　as；　independent　of　the　words　



of　their　own　village　or　town；　they　acquire　others　by　intermingling　



with　their　race　in　various　places。　　Perhaps　there　is　no　part　of　



Spain　where　it　is　spoken　better　than　in　Madrid；　which　is　easily　



accounted　for　by　the　fact；　that　Madrid；　as　the　capital；　has　always　



been　the　point　of　union　of　the　Gitanos；　from　all　those　provinces　of　



Spain　where　they　are　to　be　found。　　It　is　least　of　all　preserved　in　



Seville；　notwithstanding　that　its　Gitano　population　is　very　



considerable；　consisting；　however；　almost　entirely　of　natives　of　



the　place。　　As　may　well　be　supposed；　it　is　in　all　places　best　



preserved　amongst　the　old　people；　their　children　being　



comparatively　ignorant　of　it；　as　perhaps　they　themselves　are　in　



comparison　with　their　own　parents。　　We　are　persuaded　that　the　



Gitano　language　of　Spain　is　nearly　at　its　last　stage　of　existence；　



which　persuasion　has　been　our　main　instigator　to　the　present　



attempt　to　collect　its　scanty　remains；　and　by　the　assistance　of　the　



press；　rescue　it　in　some　degree　from　destruction。　　It　will　not　be　



amiss　to　state　here；　that　it　is　only　by　listening　attentively　to　



the　speech　of　the　Gitanos；　whilst　discoursing　amongst　themselves；　



that　an　acquaintance　with　their　dialect　can　be　formed；　and　by　



seizing　upon　all　unknown　words　as　they　fall　in　succession　from　



their　lips。　　Nothing　can　be　more　useless　and　hopeless　than　the　



attempt　to　obtain　possession　of　their　vocabulary　by　inquiring　of　



them　how　particular　objects　and　ideas　are　styled；　for　with　the　



exception　of　the　names　of　the　most　common　things；　they　are　totally　



incapable；　as　a　Spanish　writer　has　observed；　of　yielding　the　



required　information；　owing　to　their　great　ignorance；　the　shortness　



of　their　memories；　or　rather　the　state　of　bewilderment　to　which　



their　minds　are　brought　by　any　question　which　tends　to　bring　their　



reasoning　faculties　into　action；　though　not　unfrequently　the　very　



words　which　have　been　in　vain　required　of　them　will；　a　minute　



subsequently；　proceed　inadvertently　from　their　mouths。







We　now　take　leave　of　their　language。　　When　wishing　to　praise　the　



proficiency　of　any　individual　in　their　tongue；　they　are　in　the　



habit　of　saying；　'He　understands　the　seven　jargons。'　　In　the　Gospel　



which　we　have　printed　in　this　language；　and　in　the　dictionary　which　



we　have　compiled；　we　have　endeavoured；　to　the　utmost　of　our　



ability；　to　deserve　that　compliment；　and　at　all　times　it　will　



afford　us　sincere　and　heartfelt　pleasure　to　be　informed　that　any　



Gitano；　capable　of　appreciating　the　said　little　works；　has　



observed；　whilst　reading　them　or　hearing　them　read：　　It　is　clear　



that　the　writer　of　these　books　understood











THE　SEVEN　JARGONS。















ON　ROBBER　LANGUAGE；　OR；　AS　IT　IS　CALLED　IN　SPAIN；　GERMANIA











'So　I　went　with　them　to　a　music　booth；　where　they　made　me　almost　



drunk　with　gin；　and　began　to　talk　their　FLASH　LANGUAGE；　which　I　did　



not　understand。'　…　Narrative　of　the　Exploits　of　Henry　Simms；　



executed　at　Tyburn；　1746。







'Hablaronse　los　dos　en　Germania；　de　lo　qual　resulto　darme　un　



abraco；　y　ofrecerseme。'　…　QUEVEDO。　Vida　dal　gran　Tacano。











HAVING　in　the　preceding　article　endeavoured　to　afford　all　necessary　



information　concerning　the　Rommany；　or　language　used　by　the　Gypsies　



amongst　themselves；　we　now　propose　to　turn　our　attention　to　a　



subject　of　no　less　interest；　but　which　has　hitherto　never　been　



treated　in　a　manner　calculated　to　lead　to　any　satisfactory　result　



or　conclusion；　on　the　contrary；　though　philosophic　minds　have　been　



engaged　in　its　consideration；　and　learned　pens　have　not　disdained　



to　occupy　themselves　with　its　details；　it　still　remains　a　singular　



proof　of　the　errors　into　which　the　most　acute　and　laborious　writers　



are　apt　to　fall；　when　they　take　upon　themselves　the　task　of　writing　



on　matters　which　cannot　be　studied　in　the　closet；　and　on　which　no　



information　can　be　received　by　mixing　in　the　society　of　the　wise；　



the　lettered；　and　the　respectable；　but　which　must　be　investigated　



in　the　fields；　and　on　the　borders　of　the　highways；　in　prisons；　and　



amongst　the　dregs　of　society。　　Had　the　latter　system　been　pursued　



in　the　matter　now　before　us；　much　clearer；　more　rational；　and　more　



just　ideas　would　long　since　have　been　entertained　respecting　the　



Germania；　or　language　of　thieves。







In　most　countries　of　Europe　there　exists；　amongst　those　who　obtain　



their　existence　by　the　breach　of　the　law；　and　by　preying　upon　the　



fruits　of　the　labours　of　the　quiet　and　orderly　portion　of　society；　



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