Ever fewer Roma children speak Romani

The largest challenge that the Roma people are facing regarding the Romani language is that parents no longer teach their children Romani as they view the language as a hurdle and not an advantage, said Monika Sandreli from the association.

Roma parents believe that their children will be more successful at school if they only speak Slovenian. According to Sandreli, this is not true as children have no problem communicating in different languages.

"When we visit Roma villages, we see that children understand the Romani language but do not speak it," said Sandreli.

The association is trying to encourage children to use the Romani language through books in Romani and the tri-lingual magazine Mini Multi in Slovenian, Romani and English, which is often the language they understand better than Romani or Slovenian, said Sandreli.

Shows on national television dedicated to the Roma community and a Romani radio station also play an important role in preserving the Romani language, she noted.

While Romani studies as studies of the Roma people started developing as early as the 15th century, the studies of the Romani language, literature and culture are more recent, said the association president and Romani studies expert Jožek Horvat Muc.

"But the Romani language first had to be standardised," he said, adding that the Slovenian Roma community achieved this in 2012 and published a dictionary in 2014.

The World Day of Romani Language is celebrated on 5 November, the day that the first Romani-Croatian and Croatian-Romani dictionary was presented in 2008. The day was first celebrated in Croatia and at Croatia's initiative became recognised by UNESCO in 2015.