The sun., 1878-07-21
TIE NIPSIES.

Just now thpro arc To bo found in the
,,,,,,rh. -, o,,r ot,ioe and nj vorioua nloccs
,nhos, ,,oad ,y.,cr onJ cbickons arc nlontv.
~ ~",e.o v, ,ai ,rnr,,a ,noun as e,vn.
.,aa p.,l ,,,i, ,,.,i, .,r,o,,,rn,.uta Ia urntifv
.,l"t,.' .I.,, a,ro,,,,o and p,,stnrin,s
-, , -, t,.... ,t,,tn t.r,,,ro ,o11 bv somo
,., I,v''D' " ~, ~ , ,i ,.'i ,,,,t o,.,,o ,,,,,.
49,. -. ,t''','', ,,.',asL ,I,, man who
-, ~ It, -, 80. ,b, ,,or,,r
,',.... W.. ,,,,.,.. -, ,,o,, ,,,Il
VIZ ,, -. t.@,,is, .,o,,,,,
''""''', ~ - ~" Wv, Wv III,
~ N,"""' ii',', ~ ~ VI ~ -.
NV ''''' ~ i'-'l' so''',' w. ~ '",'
"'9,"N",' NV Ky isS f''n'' vi 90 ~" Wv,
"'u gum MS '"i'''''n'. " w can ON, ~
WI Wv "i VI '''"', ~ -.' 'ou ". .'''
9""''', ~ "'9, "' ","' "'"' ''''. W, 20, ~
"''' "i'u p"i .'',, Nv i''' "ny
% "'''s "',@' ~ "'' V"'' 90, %, ''p -,
N"n uio pooI' az" "o WIZ pI"S, y, ''o pu'"s ,s
""', "''iu'y 0i n.9 i"ye' ''i" VI NV a,,
an" u'"uS VI '9 SpoNe" "ns""t'' "n' p"''.'
ms hoinnahy ior you III suc', way Us " Vo,'
vince you 'n". Is o'iy VroNon ~ 'onsuV' V, Nv
Il h"' "S nl"S'r' vi ,nls "nku"se' VI ui"l'''
OF Irgoh' OF pu''cr' l. acqu,lou nu,no'i u
WoIus III my '''ne' 1t 10 lu'c e"siS io"invr
"lu' uii'o7s YOU Voh7."h'iS "so ~ p",', ~ o"9,'
'oiEo''vn' uuc "'hku"so snou'u n",v i
own EI"iuin"''V"i Vvhst uv'ioh' anu pV "v'' ~
M Npi,a' iu'"9 -'o",y "''nou' oN', '".,. ".''' 10y
uo hon'inony' as !, Is spoAcn "nivns 'no hSp
s''s' uoos not iu'll ,neso eohu''lVus. -
'r"e tl". 'hcI' "Io u'i,ron' ',li''in"''o"s ~
~ ~, ,' - a. ~. ~, a"ri,,,,,,,1
but the particles are scarce, and the gypsy
pieces out his talk with the articles and prcpo-
sitions of tho country whore he happcns TO be-
90 TINT his spoken language is n broken dialcct
Like dead language. its accent and pronun-
citation nre imprcescd by the lind where the
eyusy is horn: and the Roumnnian or Transyl-
yanian font dweller could conduct n conyersa-
tion with Scotch nawkcn only with the great
cat difficulty. Tho vocabulary is poor. have
about eighteen hundred words-probably near
ly all. There are few synonyms. and one word
will frequently he forced to express several and
diverse things. That II has been a language IL
evident enough; that IL could be made one is
possible. But ithas no liternture. There are no
gypsy books. md no prouer eypsy ballads. OK
copt those made by Imaginative Gorgios. Thoy
have songs. with imperfect rhythm. and desti-
tute Of rhyme. but these are half bad English
and half bad Rommany. and the airs they are
sung to are Of the character described by Susy
Branigan as being the kind the old COW died
on" Not that there is no poetical capability in
the gypsy tongue. Some Of its expressions are
striking. Thus the rainbow is duyols pawny-
literally Gods river. or Gods flowing stream. n
form as forclble aud ideal as the hell in har-
ness" Of Davy Crockett. applied 10 the locomo-
tive. and not so profanc.
Thu evnsios 49,, er,nt store bv thoir ,,ialect
and will not Willingly ip,unrt il to the Goroios
tGnntues or strnnrerai unless when drunkon.
moss or long intimacy relnxcs tbolr caution.
This comes rortlv from n notion among tho
moro IGNORANT that il h. n nonol oyonco IN talk
Rommanv. and pnrtlv from thc vanity which
lends Them 10 think il n hirh honor to hnye n
secret mod, of communication with eaeh other.
II il said that tho thousands of rvpsies who
haye come to this country during and since the
colonial times. and. Abandoning the tcnt life
and Incoming house d,yellors bave melted into
the stream Of porulation tcaeh the language to
their children. and keen the secret with a more
ihan Masonic iealousy. Idoubt the story. They
guard the secret Of th,ir origin with GREAT care.
from, m absurd notion that ia, e-vpsv blood. Of
which thev are ranllv proud would load 10 re-
proach from their nciehbor-. But few Of them
| fancy. kcop mn their knowledge Of the Ian
ruagc. which is lost In the second gcnor-
alton. and but for tho tramps Of the tent
and wagon would fade ont altogether. And yet