Shelta

Location Throughout Ireland. Categories Oral traditions and expressions, including language Keywords Language, Traveller culture Contact organisation Meath Travellers Workshop Cant / Gammon is a traditional language spoken by Irish Travellers. It is considered a creole language developed by Travellers from Irish, Scots Gaelic, and English-speaking backgrounds. Creole languages are generally derived from pidgin versions of the language spoken by the larger population. Among Travellers Cant / Gammon could also be known as Shelta. It is spoken mainly by the older generation throughout the country. Language is the last thing that we have left, that gives us our antiquity. It’s the words that are used. Languages can be cousins to one another like Germanic or English Languages. The closest cousin to our language is old Irish. This was spoken here pre 1200s. Some of the words used at that time are still used by Travellers today when we speak in our language. Our own words for a priest and for God have shown up in old documents to be words used in pre-christian Ireland and yet we still use them today. Our tradition was a very oral tradition so there is very little written evidence. Some of the leaflets and documents used at Meath Travellers Workshop, The Irish Traveller Movement and Pavee Point would have both English and Cant / Gammon language included. Meath Travellers Workshop mobile Living History Exhibition supports the work of keeping the language and crafts alive and will continue to do so going forward. The restoration of the language is widely appealing to Travellers and efforts to pass the language from generation to generation have been affected by the imposition of legislation which prevented Travellers from practicing their nomadic tradition. This imposed settlement of the majority of the community disrupted the pattern of intergenerational legacy but continues to form part of the language custom of the nuclear and extended family. Full restoration and revival have become a more important feature since recognition of Travellers as an ethnic minority group (March 2017) and highlights the need to elevate this indigenous minority language with adequate resources and reinstate its place within the community and amongst younger community members. This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.