Romani dictionary: Kalderash - English

Ronald Lee's dictionary contains a wealth of information on both Kalderash Romani (Rromanes) grammar as well as vocabulary, thus doubling the usefulness of the book.One thing that Lee does that makes this dictionary a valuable research tool is that he specifies whether the word cited is American or European usage. For example, the verb 'to play'(an instrument) is 'bashavel' or bashalel' (in the Serbian Kalderash to which I am accustomed) but most American Rrom say 'pleyil.' Mr. Lee has entries 'bashavel' (Eur.) and 'pleyil'(Amer.), thus letting the reader know which word is used where. It is useful to know the European Rromani words, with the influx of European Rrom immigrating to the U.S.The student of Kalderash should be aware that there are several dialects of Kalderash: the Serbian and Russian varieties are the most common in the United States. The vocabulary in this dictionary will be understood by all speakers of Kalderash.Hopefully, the English-Kalderash dictionary will be released soon, as a complement to this fine work.

If you’re interested in learning the Romani language then this is the book for you.

What an awesome resource for Romani vocabulary! I like that it's well researched and presented, with many sample usage phrases. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Romani language studies.