Romini language

General information

The Romini language is one of the last human-based tribal languages left on Avlis. The language is not widely known outside the families and clans that make up the Romini people. Owing allegance to no nation or people, the Romini are the oldest and supposed favorite mortal creation of the god Mikon. The first humans to appear on Avlis were the ancestors of the Romini, created directly by Mikon. When created, Mikon commanded them to spread over the planet and bring balance to the world. They were told to be free, yet fair, and to call no one place their home, but rather many places. They are insular, and follow the strict guidelines set down by Mikon, and their culture and language are strongly gender-based.

Mikon's greatest gift to the Romini was the freedom to choose their life paths on an individual basis. He did not restrict them to the ways of good or evil, nor law or chaos. He simply told them to be. He told them that they must do what the moment requires and not to worry about past or future, but rather to exist as needed for the immediate time period. Much to Mikon's pride, his creation took his words to heart and did exactly as he bade them. The Romini spread throughout Avlis and adopted whatever personalities suited their cause. In addition to possessing the inner joy that nomad people often have, the Romini are crafty and cunning. No matter what their philosophy in life, they refuse to be oppressed and will strike back at oppression with eerie effectiveness, grace, and subversiveness. Romini live by the flow of the water in the rivers, and the smell of the air in the breeze. They do what is needed, when it is needed, and never any other time. The Romini as a people are on tolerable terms with all races and nations, though on a societal level they are seen as thieves and troublemakers whenever they roll into town. City-folk often have stories about being cheated or kidnapped by the Romini.

Although they are often berated for being loyal to no one, Romini are actually intensely loyal to each other. A Romini will not kill or harm another Romini unless it is totally necessary, and even then they will seriously consider not doing it. Whenever a Romini finds another of their kind in trouble, they will always find the best way to aid them when possible. Though they are diverse and scattered throughout the world, they have a tremendous sense of their own unity and culture. Even a Romini born in Tyedu who meets a Romini from M'Chek will converse as if they were brothers who have known each other their whole lives. It is this closeness that has allowed them to survive as a people and not become so scattered that they are forgotten. If one is Romini, they are part of the overall Romini identity... one of them. If one is not, they are georgio, the term for a non-Romini.

Conjugating Verbs

Infinitives end in “av” or “au” (masculine or feminine). Verbs are conjugated by taking off the suffix “av” or “au” and replacing it with the appropriate ending, and adding the personal pronoun before the verb.

Personal pronouns

• I me
  
• You tu
  
• He/She voj/vou
  
• We ame
  
• You (pl) tume
  
• They von
  
• It pe

Present tense

• I me (verb)
  
• You tu (verb+es)
  
• He/she vou/voj (verb+el)
  
• We ame (verb+as)
  
• You PL tume (verb+en)
  
• They von (verb+en)
  
• It pe (verb+el)

Example:

• I arrive me aresav
  
• You arrive tu areses
  
• He arrive s voj aresel
  
• She arrives vou aresel
  
• We arrive ame aresas
  
• You (PL) arrive tume asresan
  
• They arrive von areasen
  
• It arrives pe areasel

Past tense

• I me (verb+lem)
  
• You tu (verb+ljan)
  
• He/she vou/voj (verb+ljas/laji)
  
• We ame (verb+ljam)
  
• You PL tume (verb+ljan)
  
• They von (verb+le)
  
• It pe (verb+ljo)

Example

• I asked me puslem
• You asked tu pusljan
  
• He asked vou pusljas
  
• She asked voj pusiljas
  
• We asked ames pusljam
  
• You (Pl) asked tume pusljan
  
• They asked von pusle
  
• It asked pe pusljo
  

Future tense

• I me (verb+dem)
  
• You tu (verb+djan)
  
• He/she vou/voj (verb+djas/daji)
  
• We ame (verb+djam)
  
• You PL tume (verb+djan)
  
• They von (verb+de)
  
• It pe (verb+djo)
  

Example

• I will buy me tindem
  
• You will buy tu tindjan
  
• He will buy vou tindjas
  
• She will buy voj tindaji
  
• We will buy ame tindjam
  
• You (pl) will buy tume tindjan
  
• They will buy von tinde
  
• It will buy pe tindjo
  

Verb list

To arrive aresav
To ask for molinav
To ask pušau
To become (drunk) matojau
To begin lav
To believe patjav
To bless narbau
To bite dandav
To bring anav
To bring anav
To buy tinav
To carry igelav
To cast pav
To clean hoozharav
To come avav
To craft chatinav
To cut cshinav
To dance khelav
To die merau
To do kerav
To eat xav
To enjoy dehav
To fear darav
To fight marav
To finish resavav
To follow denedìnav
To forget bisterav
To freeze marhonav
To get astrav
To give dau
To go zau
To greet resav
To grow baryovav
To hear shoonav
To hear, listen shoonav
To help akandav
To hide garavav
To hire yavav
To hit marav
To hope nadav
To kill maranau
To kiss choomidav
To know, understand zanau
To laugh asau
To learn siklovav
To leave mookav
To lie hohavav
To live mau
To look dikhav
To lose nashalav
To love jubisarav
To meet arakhau
To mix ehminav
To open putrav
To play (music) bashalav
To put tovav
To read chetinav
To recognize penjarav
To respect saidinau
To run prastav
To say phenav
To see dikhav
To sell tianau
To send bichalav
To serve (food) cshorav
To shoot farav
To shut, close phandav
To sing gilyavav
To sit beshav
To sleep sovav
To start astarav
To stop aschav
To survive nakhyarav
To take lau
To teach sikavav
To think godisarav
To wake jangarav
To walk phirav
To want, desire kamav
To watch dandinau
To weave katav

There are two, common irregular verbs: “to be” sem and “to have” isi

TO BE=sem ((insert table)) Present Past Future I me sym me symas me sydem You tu san tu sanas tu syndan He/She vou/voj sy vou/voj sas vou/voj sayjas/sayji We ame sam ame samas ame samam You.PL tume san tume sanas tume sanjan They von sy von sas von syde It pe sy pe san pe sydo

TO HAVE=isi Present Past Future I me isi me isas me isidem You tu isan tu isnas tu isidan He/She vou/voj isoi vou/voj isnan vou/voj isijas/isiji We ame isam ame isamas ame isimam You.PL tume isan tume isanas tume isijan They von ision von isisas von iside It pe isoi pe isnan pe isido

Possessives

My, mine myro, muro
Your(s) tiro
Their, theirs tumaro, tumuro
Our, ours amaro, amuro
His lesko
Hers lako
All (all of us) sa
Its pedes

Adjectives:

alive žuvindo
bad nasul
better maj mišto
big barba, barbo
clean užo
cold sudri
dead merani
dirty midsek
good misto
hot tato
new nevi
old (age) phura (f), phural (m)
old purano
short skurto
small tikno
smart barlo
stupid dilo
tall uce
unclean (status) magerdo
young novi

Colors:

White parne
Black kalo
Blue naja
Green aveda
Red lolile
Orange ojako
Yellow khaja
Brown trinel
Purple oolija
Grey, silver suy

Numbers:

Zero khono
One ehk
Two dooy
Three ootrin
Four ooshatar
Five oopanch
Six ooshov
Seven efta
Eight ohto
Nine eyna
Ten desh

Eleven deshehk
Twelve deshdooy
(etc)

Tens -desh (ie, seventy is “eftadesh”)
Hundreds -shel (ie, seven hundred is “eftashel”)
Thousands -milya (ie, seven thousand is “eftamilya”)

Emotions

Anger range, holyan
Sorrow rovga
Happiness
Fear menga

Conjunctions. articles, prepositions

A jekh
Above, across opral
About miro
And thaj
Another vareso
Behind, back doom
Both duj
End agor
For de
From kerdi
Front anglal
In ande
If i
Middle mashkari
No na
Not naj
Of pa
Or ori
Out avri
Some niste
None khon
That kadoan
The la (feminine)
The le (masculine)
The o (generic)
This kadoa
To kaj
Under karing
Very maj
With peska
Yes hai

Interrogatives

How sar
What so
When kana
Where (is it?) kaj
Which savo
Who kon
Why soske

Nouns

Plural: add “ja” if feminine, “ji” if masculine
Female nouns end in vowels, male nouns in consonants

Animals animal animalo hide (animal skin) morči animalosti ant kir bull guruv cat pisika chicken khajni cow guruvni dog žukel ox gooroov wolf ruv wyrm (dragon) omida

Body parts arm vast back zeja belly peř body trupo breast čuči ear kan elbow kui eye jakh eyebrow phova finger naj foot laban hand vaste hair bal heart, soul ilo hip maškar horns singa knee čang leg punřo lip ušt mouth muj neck, throat koř nose nak skin morči teeth danda teardrop jasfa tongue šib

Food Apple phaba bacon mas thulo bread manřo butter unto cake prežitura cheese tiral corn misiri egg anřo flour ařo sugar thud milk zaro nut anchor wheat div

People

Non-Romini georgio(f), georgen (m), also: gadzo (f), gadzen (m); also: gadjo, gadjen
Child chavo
Boy raklo
Son sejo
Brother phral
Man rom
Husband mursk
Girl rakli
Daughter seji
Sister phrali
Woman romja
Wife zuvli
Father dadesk
Mother mameska
Grandfather papesk
Grandmother mamoska
Aunt baba
Uncle babosk
Niece raklori
Nephew rakloro
Cousin pralisko (f), pralisken (m)
Friend prieteno (f), prieten (m)
Enemy jostumalo(f), jostumalen(m)
Witch drabarni
Wizard drabarn
Priest, cleric drabenshena
Healer drabengro
Bard, singer giliri
Thief choro
Warrior ketano
Nobody khonik
Somebody nistenik
Family kompania
Clan shena
Tribe natsia

Miscellaneous

Bed pato Boat barka Castle kastelo Chair skamin Clothes gada Demon, devil beng Door udar Dress rokja Earth phuv Fire jag Flower luludi Forest ves Gold sumnakaj Grass cjar Honor pativ Ice payo Land tan Light lumina Luck baxt Magic drabi Market piaco Moon sonuto Mountain bur Name anav Rain brisind River len Road drom Sea marja Snow iv Song gili Spring sartiura Spirit, bad mulo Spirit, good leshya Star ceraja Summer khamende Sun kham Sunrise drosin Sunset drosara Sword spada Table skafidi Town foros Tree kast Village gav Wagon vurdo Water paj Weather tsiroos Wind braval Wine moljasa Winter ivende

Time (timpo)

Years ando
Days dies
Months sono
Hours hories
Minutes minos
Now akana
Long ago demult
Today ades
Tomorrow texara
Yesterday arati
Morning drosi
Afternoon drosa
Evening, night iraat
Midnight mashkari iraat (literally, middle night)

Expressions:

How many, how much? Sode?
Goodbye (Go forth!) Kele!
Hello Sastipe!
Thank you Gestena
You’re welcome Pesan khuno (literally, “it was nothing.”)
I’m sorry M’sym rovgi
Of course Hai shava
Good morning! Misto drosi!
Good night! Kushti irrati!
My love myro/muro jubisarel
Beloved ves' tacha
Yes, I swear! hai'she'li!
Truth? Her’y?
There are many paths Vai’datha ( an expression of either hope or resignation)
By the gods! Li' ha' eer!
Nonsense! Shesti!
Do you understand? Hai zana? Also: Hai shala?
Shit! Sheka!
What a fool! So trekoth! (what a gullible person!)
Wonderful! Forshava!