Vlax Romani language
Vlax Romani varieties are spoken mainly in Southeastern Europe by the Romani people. Vlax Romani can also be referred to as an independent language or as one dialect of the Romani language. Vlax Romani is the second most widely spoken dialect subgroup of the Romani language worldwide, after Balkan Romani.
Name
The language's name Vlax Romani was coined by British scholar Bernard Gilliat-Smith in his 1915 study on Bulgarian Romani, in which he first divided Romani dialects into Vlach and non-Vlach. The Vlax Roma, a subgroup of the Romani people that speak the Vlax Romani language, originate from the former Roma slaves in the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, now Romania.The words Romani and Romania are false cognates, the former deriving from Romani rom – ultimately from Sanskrit word ḍoma/डोम, and the latter deriving from Romanian român – ultimately from Latin.
Classification
Vlax Romani is classified in two groups: Vlax I, or Northern Vlax, and Vlax II, or Southern Vlax.Elšík uses this classification and dialect examples :
| Sub-group | Dialect | Place |
| Ukrainian Vlax | Ukraine | |
| Northern Vlax | Cerhari | Hungary |
| Hungarian Lovari | Hungary | |
| Hungarian Lovari | Slovakia | |
| Austrian Lovari | Austria | |
| Polish Lovari | Poland | |
| Norwegian Lovari | Norway | |
| Serbian Kalderaš | Serbia | |
| Italian Kalderaš | Italy | |
| Russian Kalderaš | Russia | |
| Taikon Kalderaš | Sweden | |
| American Vlax | USA | |
| Southern Vlax | Vallachian | Romania |
| Ihtiman | Bulgaria | |
| Gurbet | Serbia and Bosnia Gurbeti | |
| Korça | Albania | |
| Italian Xoraxane | Italy | |
| Ajia Varvara | Greece |