Welsh Romani language


Welsh Romani is a variety of the Romani language which was spoken fluently in Wales until at least 1950. It was spoken by the Kale group of the Romani people who arrived in Britain during the 16th century. The first record of Romani moving permanently into Wales comes from the 18th century. Welsh-Romani is one of the many Northern Romani dialects.
Nowadays Welsh Kalá has transitioned into a para-Romani language. Today Welsh Kalá is a mix of Romani, Welsh and English but uses English grammar.
The majority of the vocabulary is of Romani origin but there are a number of loanwords from other languages. Welsh loanwords include melanō, grīga and kraŋka. There are also English loanwords such as vlija, spīdra and bråmla.
Historically the variants of Welsh Kalá and Angloromani constituted the same variant of Romani, known as British Romani. Welsh Kalá is closely related to Angloromani, Scandoromani, Scottish Cant and Finnish Kalo. Welsh Kale, English Romanichal, Norwegian & Swedish Romanisæl, Finnish Kale and Scottish Lowland Romani are closely related groups and are descended from the wave of Romani immigrants who came to England in the 16th century.