In the cases of most children whose first language is Romani, their knowledge is ignored. In some cases, it is used by Romani assistants as a transit to language of instruction. A child with parents from different groups may be speaking two different languages (e.g. Vlax Romani and Rumungri Romani) and will still be perceived as mute by the vast majority of schools. Some systems would place this child into a special school for children with disabilities, where Romani children are regularly overrepresented.
Be it 30 years ago or today, Romani children are guided into losing their language, part of their identity. Often, parents make the choice in advance and do not even speak Romani with their children. As Roma and Travelers we are taught, directly or indirectly, to neglect our identity. We are eager to blend into the mainstream society. As a result, we gradually lose the language and all of its dialects, generation by generation. What is worse, we do not get anything in exchange, our children still end up with a second-class education, sidetracked to Roma-only schools and special education for children with mental disabilities.
It may be difficult to build on a language which is not unified across communities, especially if dialects vary from community to community. But we at Romani Early Years Network do not seek for easy solutions. We promote linguistic and cultural diversity every day in a year (REYN. 2016). All this has made me very curious, how many other countries make their children skip their first language?
REYN. Why do Roma skip the first language? 2016
Retrieved from: http://reyn.blog.issa.nl/why-do-roma-skip-the-first-language/
