Early Anti-Romani Language Efforts

Prior to the 17th century, the primary objective of European governments in dealing the Roma was the expulsion of all Roma within their territories. Government policies aimed at achieving this objective ejected Roma from their countries and threatened to flog or kill those who did not leave [Brearley, 1996]. After repeated failures to uphold these laws, European governments transitioned away from banning Roma and instead sought to forcefully assimilate the Roma populations within their borders. For example, in 1633 Philip IV of Spain issued a decree that stated that the Roma did not exist as a people, and as such banned people from speaking the Romani language and wearing Romani garb [Kendrick, 2007]. Similarly, during the 18th century both Maria Theresa of the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire and her successor to the throne, Joseph II, issued decrees which banned people from speaking in the Romani language or participating in Roma cultural traditions [Kendrick, 2007]. In multiple European nations, Roma children were forcibly removed from their parents and placed in foster homes or in the homes of non-Romani families to separate them from their linguistic and cultural heritage [Brearley, 1996]. While bans on language use often had harsh penalties, the enforcement of these laws ranged from low to none.