GYPSEY WORDS. HINDOSTANEE SYNONYMES. ENGLISH TRANSLAT. Apra Ooper Above Bebee Beebee Aunt, or lady Pownee Pawnee Water Devus Dewus Day Rattee Raut Night Can Caun Ear Dad Dada Grandfather Valashtee Belaist Finger Mutchee Mutchee Fish Gur G’hur House Shing Sing Horn Ballow Baul Hair Shunalee Soonaie Hearing Liecaw Leckap Writing Dai Dhye Nurse Mass Mass Food Tod Dood Milk Boot Bote Much Nack Nauk Nose Booro-panee Burrah-paunee Great water Doriove Derriow River Lolo Loll Red Booro-chairee Burra-choory Great knife Roop Roopah Silver Saup Saump Snake Dicken Deckna To see Loon Noon Salt Jaw Jow Go Kali-coe Kul-ko Yesterday Tschor Choor Thief Dori Doory String Rajah Rajah A lord Ranee Rannee Princess Raz Raj Principality Banduk Baundook Musket Jammadar Jemmadar An officer Gour Gor Grave Mul Mool Wine Dur Door Jar Jungustri Angootee Ring Paka Punk Wing Schut Kuttah Sour Ker G’hur House Sapa Savon Soap Menghna Maungna To want Pi Pee Drink Metchana Putchana To know Me-dikaka My-deckata I saw Chabben Chabna To eat Tober Tobula An axe Starrie Sitara Star Rashee Rishee Priest Bocolee Bookap Hungry Por Poor Full Geecoa Jee-oo-ka Life, living.
The foregoing will suffice to give much insight into the affinity spoken of; especially when it is considered that the gypsey words are chiefly taken from Grellman’s Vocabulary, wherein we are to make considerable allowances for German intonation, especially regarding the vowel u, and the dipthong oo, as in _dur_, and _door_; and for _dori_, and _doory_; the slight differences between which, so far as is connected with orthography, would probably disappear if the words were spoken by a German gypsey, and a _nut_, respectively. Add to this, that the natives of India use the letters L, and N, rather promiscuously: thus, they say either _leel_, or _neel_, (for _blue_); the capital of Oude is as often called _Nucklow_, as Lucknow, and the word _noon_, (_salt_,) is very commonly pronounced _loon_; as in the gypsey language.
If it is considered that the foregoing comparison did not take place at a time when Colonel Richardson had the opportunity to examine closely into the particulars, by having access to European gypsies, whose familiar conversation, when explained, might have furnished numberless instances of accordance, which, from his accurate knowledge of the Hindostanee language, might ever have been such as to enable him to understand a gypsey colloquy; we must admit that strong probabilities exist, as to the _nuts_ and the _gypsies_ being branches from the same stock. Colonel Richardson observes, very properly, ‘Should any real Hindostanee scholars ever investigate this matter _on the spot in Europe_, their evidence and observations will probably settle the matter effectually, one way or other, for ever.’ He likewise remarks, that ‘Grellman, from a want of knowledge of the Hindostanee, lost many opportunities of producing the proper word, in comparison with the gypsey one’—and again, he forcibly remarks, that ‘It is not the accidental coincidence of a few words, but the whole vocabulary he (Grellman) produces, differs not so much from the common Hindostanee, as provincial dialects of the same country usually do from each other.’