[Mamzelle]

Linguists established this origin early in this century--the language is an offshoot of Sanscrit.

We have some Gypsy words in our vernacular--"Punch" means "five"--five fruits for a drink, or five fingers for a fist. "Shiv"--knife.

A cryptic culture, with no music, art, storytelling. No Gypsy restaurants. Any music we think of as Gypsy is largely a romanticized Balkan pastiche, more Hungarian than Romani. To be frank, Gypsies have contributed practically nothing to Western culture except their own image as romantic vagabonds.

The reputation for itinterant thievery and con-artistry is well-deserved, but they have also managed this without a commensurate reputation for violence.

[muawiyah]

A couple of Gypsy skills were considered of little value until needs were found for them. For example, the Gypsies had figured out how to live on the road for extended periods of time. This was of immense value in the settlement of America, and you will find early Gypsies engaged in that business.

Another skill was in making inexpensive costume jewelry ~ aka "junk jewelry". For several centuries they had a near monopoly in that particular business. When WWII came along, most American Gypsies relocated to Los Angeles to work in the aircraft plans working with aluminum. Their skill with light metals was of immense value at that time. Every now and then you find a young person of Gypsy ancestry searching for "cultural contact" to find out what it was Grandpa and Grandma left behind.

Ain't America a great land ~ it even assimilates Gypsies ~ and a Bill Clinton whose grandmother told fortunes in traveling carnivals can become President.

[nopardons]

Hungary is not now and never was part of the Balkans,though at one time,the Austro-Hungarian Empire had part of the Balkans in thrall.

Hungarian gypsy music is NOT at all similar to Spanish gypsy music,or Russian gypsy music,nor Irish gypsy music.

[Cronos]

A cryptic culture, with no music, art, storytelling.

huh? Most slavic music is highly influenced by gypsy music -- the Gypsies also brought the Indian sitar to the west where it morphed into the guitar

[Cronos]

more Hungarian than Romani. To be frank, Gypsies have contributed practically nothing to Western culture except their own image as romantic vagabonds.

Not really -- as I said above, Western music before the Gypsies was similar to what you hear in the medieval movies -- twingy lutes. Real mazurka style music comes fro the Gypsies. The Magyar Hungarians, being Turkic/Mongoloid had a differnt, oriental music, similar to what you hear in the steppes of Mongolia or in China today