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CAN YOU HEAR ME? FOR MOST OF ROMANI CHILDREN CROATIAN IS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, I.E., THEIR MOTHER TONGUE. THAT MEANS THAT SINCE CHILDHOOD THEY LEARN AND COMMUNICATE IN SOME OTHER LANGUAGE WITHIN THEIR FAMILIES. SOME ROMANI CHILDREN STARTING SCHOOL ARE NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH CROATIAN, OR DO NOT SPEAK IT ALL. UNLIKE OTHER CHILDREN, FOR WHOM CROATIAN IS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, ROMANI CHILDREN LEARN EVERY DAY IN A LANGUAGE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WELL. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MASTER A LANGUAGE? Proficiency in a language includes the ability BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE to speak, as well as all the activities that in- LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY THE The word ‘Roma’ or ‘Romani’ refers to Romani, Travellers, Sinti and other groups (Manouche, Gitano, volve the everyday use of listening, reading ROMANI IN CROATIA Resande, Romer, Romanlar, Domlar, Lomlar, Kaale, Egyptians, Ashkali, Tattare, Gypsies, Scottish Travellers, and writing skills. Too often teachers believe Mandopolini, Ghurbeti, Beyash (Rudari/Ludari), Jevgjit and many others), most of whom adhere to notions that a child who mastered speaking in Croa- Romani language/romani ćhib [t∫ib] of common origins, shared cultural practices and similar traditions. tian can perform deeper cognitive processes and Bayash Romanian/ljimba d’bjash and produce new knowledge in that language [lyimba dbya∫] are the two languages Translation of these documents into English was supported by the International Step by Step Association and that it is not true. spoken by most of the Romani and the Romani Early Years Network. A child first develops the basic skills needed people in Croatia. for interpersonal communication, vocab- Beside these two, the Romani in Gender specific words include all the people belonging to the listed groups regardless of their sex. ulary, pronunciation and grammar. This does Croatia speak other languages not mean that they developed the so-called – some Romani people speak ‘cognitive academic language’, which devel- Wallachian, Albanian or Macedonian ops later. as their first language. 2 CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? 3 THE ROMANI LANGUAGE/ Greek and Armenian, while after that it It is an archaic dialect of Romanian and in DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE ROMANI CHIB was influenced by Slavic languages and by Croatia the term Bayash Romanian covers MICONCEPTIONS ABOUT Hungarian, Romanian and Turkish. three dialects (Transylvanian, Baranya- PUPILS WHOSE FIRST LAN- The Romani language/romani chib or Although the standardization of the Muntenian and Ludaro-Muntenian.) GUAGE IS NOT CROATIAN? Romanes, as it is also called, is the official Romani language is under way, due to Bayash Romanian has not been language of the Romani and it is estimated various social and historical factors the standardized and is mostly passed on MISCONCEPTION 1 that around 3 million people in the world speakers of the Romani language speak through oral transmission. For children who have to master Croatian it speak it. Most of the speakers of this in different dialects and are sometimes, would be best that only Croatian is spoken language today live in Eastern Europe. after them, referred to as the Vlax, Lovari, around them at schools. In Croatia, romani chib is spoken by 42.4% Kalderash, Gurbeti, Sinti, Manush, Arli… of Romani. However, these differences are not WHAT IS LANGUAGE Why is this a misconception? This language belongs to the Indo- such that the Romani people could not USED FOR? Pupils who do not speak Croatian and at European language group, specifically communicate among themselves. school are completely surrounded, or ‘im- to its Indo-Iranian branch, and it is the We should keep in mind that many Language is a communication tool enabling us mersed’ in Croatian, may have significant closest European relative to Sanskrit. It is Romani people are bilingual or even to organise and express our thoughts, experi- difficulties with understanding and learning. also closely related to modern languages multilingual and that their language, just ences, emotions, intentions and observations When pupils are allowed to use their first lan- spoken in India and Pakistan, like Punjabi. like any other language is in a mutual and facts. guage alongside Croatian, they can communi- On its way from Pakistan and India, it relationship with other languages, cate in both their first language and Croatian. arrived to today’s Croatia in the 14th depending on the context. Language is crucial for the development of It is important to allow pupils the use of their century, specifically to Dubrovnik (this 5th November is the International Romani social relationships – it enables children to first language for psychological reasons, too, is where it was first recorded). Until then Language Day. communicate and learn within their families, because a situation where a person cannot the Romani language had developed under local communities and the society they live in. express oneself is very frustrating. the influence of other languages, such as Language is an important element of cul- BAYASH ROMANIAN ture – people speaking the language of their LANGUAGE/LJIMBA D’BJASH community have a strong sense of belong- Give children the ing to the community and the culture. The opportunity to use their It matters what The Bayash Romanian language is spoken vocabulary, but also phrases, intonation and first language. language I speak by the Romani in Međimurje and in the even gesticulation during speech all transfer at home. eastern part of Croatia, and it reached cultural properties. Croatia in the mid-19th century, after the abolition of slavery that the Romani Language is associated with cognitive de- suffered in Wallachia (present-day velopment – language development enables Vorbisare romane? Romania) and Moldavia. children to process information, to memorize In Croatia 36.5% of Romani speak ljimba and to experience. Language is important for d’ bjash. mastering and creating new knowledge and for Besides in Croatia, it is spoken by Romani activating higher cognitive functions, such as communities in Serbia, Hungary and other reasoning, decision making and reflection on countries. reality and personal experiences. 4 CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? 5 MISCONCEPTION 2 MISCONCEPTION 3 When a child communicates Parents should speak Croatian to their chil- DESPITE THE MISCONCEPTION Research has shown that children with lower in their first language it pre- dren at home. THAT USING TWO LANGUAGES language proficiency can follow any curricu- vents them from mastering CONFUSES PEOPLE, EVI- lum if it is taught in an inclusive and interactive Croatian. Why is this a misconception? DENCE SHOWS THAT A WELL way. It is best that the parents communicate with DEVELOPED BILINGUALISM Moreover, reducing the curriculum will put Why is this a misconception? their children in the language they are fluent ACTUALLY INCREASES the children in a disadvantaged position, as Proficiency in the first lan- in and can best express themselves in. This ‘COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY’, I.E., they will never manage to catch up with guage can only help the child may be their first language or a second lan- BILINGUAL PEOPLE (INCLUD- their peers. to better understand the sec- guage that parents speak well. When the par- ING CHILDREN) ARE BETTER ond language, as a child can ents talk to their children in the language they AT SEEING THINGS FROM acquire the meanings/con- themselves cannot speak well, they are giving DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES MISCONCEPTION 6 cepts in the first language, then learn the word them the model of a language that has not AND AT UNDERSTANDING Children who do not speak Croatian cannot for the same concepts in the second language. been fully mastered and towards which they OTHER PEOPLE’S VIEWS. achieve good results at school. If the child is not familiar with the concept in do not have the same emotional relationship the first language, they learn the word for the as to their mother tongue. Why is this a misconception? concept in the second language and have to Encourage parents to keep using at home the As we have pointed out before, lessons in dif- simultaneously acquire the term and the con- same language they have been using in the ferent subjects do not only include the acqui- cept. This misconception is based on the as- family. Explain to them that frequent con- Bilingual or multilingual people are often bet- sition of new knowledge, but also the develop- sumption that there is a limited ‘space’ in our versations in the mother tongue with their ter at mastering new languages. Moreover, the ment of different skills, so pupils can be very brain for language and if this space is taken by children will help them in mastering a second children should have the possibility to express successful in the subjects where the language one language, a second one will not be able language as well. themselves in the language in which they best knowledge is not crucial. For example, Mathe- to develop. can. If children are not allowed to speak their matics is a mixture of non-linguistic (e.g., dif- Research, however, has shown that the limited first language they are given the message that ferentiating between sets) mind space concept is wrong and that actually MISCONCEPTION 4 their language is ‘not good’, and our attitudes and linguistic (specific vo- the contrary is true. At school children should not speak in their towards the value and desirability of a lan- cabulary) capabilities. When the children are in a safe environment mother tongue in any situation. guage also affect language learning. Furthermore, all the chil- and are stimulated from the outside world, dren, regardless of their their brains’ activity is unlimited and – it learns. Why is this a misconception? first language, have to mas- When they use two languages there is a trans- Unfortunately, many people believe that there MISCONCEPTION 5 ter the technical terms, ac- fer of knowledge from one language to the is only space for one language in our brain.

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