Words not deeds

The bigger problem is what the terms are meant to represent. Nobody really knows the size of the diaspora estimates in Europe range from 7m to 12m. Romani identity has splintered over the centuries since the original migration from Rajastan in India DNA and linguistic analysis suggests that this happened around 1000AD The European diaspora is not the only one. Others,probably the result of later migration,include the Lom,Dom,Lyuli,Bosha and Zott mostly in the Middle and Near East,but also in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Such links are tenuous,but so are those even between nearby villages in Europe,where different dialects can be largely incomprehensible. Command of the language among the younger Romanies is fading,partly under the onslaught of popular culture,but also because parents fear it will hurt their childrens chances in school.

Intermarriage and assimilation have diluted the ethnic component further. The Romani way of life varies too. The vast majority of Romanies have long since stopped being nomads. Many surviving nomads tinkers in Ireland,for example are not Romanies. Poverty and prejudice afflict Europes Romanies particularly,but the underclass has other members too. Try finding a name for them.