Editing Romani Holocaust (section)

== Alternate terms ==
The term '''''porajmos''''' (also '''''porrajmos''''' or '''''pharrajimos'''''—literally, "devouring" or "destruction" in some dialects of the [[Romani language]])<ref>{{Harvnb|Hancock|1997|p=339}}: "Porajmos: The Romani Holocaust (1933–1945), also Baro Porajmos, lit. 'great devouring{{' "}}.</ref> was introduced by [[Ian Hancock]] in the early 1990s.<ref name=matras>{{Harvnb|Matras|2004|p=195}}.</ref> Hancock chose to use the term, coined by a [[Kalderash]] Rom, from a number of suggestions which were given during an "informal conversation in 1993".<ref name=word>{{cite web |last=Hancock |first=Ian |title=On the interpretation of a word: Porrajmos as Holocaust |publisher=The Romani Archives and Documentation Center – RADOC |url=http://www.radoc.net/radoc.php?doc=art_e_holocaust_interpretation&lang=ry&articles=true |access-date=8 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924084502/http://www.radoc.net/radoc.php?doc=art_e_holocaust_interpretation&lang=ry&articles=true |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The term is mostly used by activists and as a result, its usage is unknown to most Roma, including relatives of victims and survivors.<ref name=matras /> Some [[Ruska Roma|Russian]] and [[Balkan Romani]] activists protest against the use of the word ''porajmos''.<ref name=word /> In various dialects, ''porajmos'' is synonymous with ''poravipe'' which means "violation" and "rape", a term which some Roma consider offensive. János Bársony and Ágnes Daróczi, pioneering organisers of the Romani civil rights movement in Hungary, prefer to use the term ''Pharrajimos'', a Romani word which means "cutting up", "fragmentation", "destruction". They argue against the use of the term ''porrajmos'', saying that it is ''marhime'' (unclean, untouchable): "[p]orrajmos is unpronounceable in the Roma community, and thus, it is incapable of conveying the sufferings of the Roma".{{sfn|Bársony|Daróczi|2008|p=x}} Franz-Elias Schneck a Indologist from Germany argues that "por-"  might be related to the sanskrit word वार (vāra) meaning "blow" and "assault". Even within the Sinti - Community the word does either not exist or is similar to another perverted word like "blow" word which does harm to the rememberence of the Sinti and Roma Holocaust.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schneck |first=Franz-Elias |title=Sensible Sprache am Beispiel des umstrittenen Wortes:  "Porajmos" |publisher=Verein Pro Sinti und Roma e.V. |year=2024 |location=Freiburg |language=German |trans-title=Sensitive language using the example of the controversial word: "Porajmos"}}</ref> 

Balkan Romani activists prefer to use the term '''''samudaripen''''' ("mass killing"),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dosta.org/?q=node/37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620210149/http://dosta.org/?q=node%2F37 |archive-date=20 June 2006 |title=What does "Samudaripen" mean? |website=Dosta! (Council of Europe) |date=5 September 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> first introduced by linguist [[Marcel Courthiade]] in the 1970s in Yugoslavia in the context of Auschwitz and Jasenovac. It is a neologism of sa (Romani for 'all') and mudaripen (murder). It can be translated as 'murder of all' or 'mass murder'. The International Romani Union now uses this term.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.romarchive.eu/en/voices-of-the-victims/genocide-holocaust-porajmos-samudaripen/ |title=Genocide, Holocaust, Porajmos, Samudaripen |website=RomArchive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205190245/https://www.romarchive.eu/en/voices-of-the-victims/genocide-holocaust-porajmos-samudaripen/ |archive-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> Ian Hancock dismisses this word, arguing that it does not conform to Romani language [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]].<ref name=word /> Some Ruska Roma activists offer to use the term '''''Kali Traš''''' ("[[Fascism|Black]] Fear").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://romanykultury.info/discussion/discussion.php?row=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023073448/http://romanykultury.info/discussion/discussion.php?row=3 |archive-date=23 October 2007 |script-title=ru:Романы Культуры и Джиипэн |title=Romany Kul'tury i Dzhiipen |trans-title=Romani Culture and Life |language=ru |first=Lilit |last=Mazikina |url-status=usurped |website=romanykultury.info}}</ref> Another alternative that has been used is '''''Berša Bibahtale''''' ("The Unhappy Years").<ref name=word /> Lastly, adapted borrowings such as '''''Holokosto''''', '''''Holokausto''''', etc. are also used in the Romani language on some occasions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Linguistically, the term ''porajmos'' is composed of the verb root ''porrav''- and the abstract-forming nominal ending -''imos''. This ending is of the [[Vlax Romani]] dialect, whereas other varieties generally use -''ibe(n)'' or -''ipe(n)''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boretzky |first1=Norbert |last2=Igla |first2=Birgit |year=2005 |title=Kommentierter Dialektatlas des Romani. Teil 1: Vergleich der Dialekte |trans-title=Annotated dialect atlas of Romani. Part 1: Comparison of dialects |location=Wiesbaden |publisher=Harrassowitz |isbn=978-3-447-05073-9 |language=de}}</ref> For the verb itself, the most commonly given meaning is "to open/stretch wide" or "to rip open", whereas the meaning "to open up the mouth, devour" occurs in fewer dialects.<ref>{{cite web |title=Romlex: Lexical Database |publisher=romani.uni-graz.at |url=http://romani.uni-graz.at/romlex/lex.xml |access-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523200101/http://romani.uni-graz.at/romlex/lex.xml |archive-date=23 May 2024}}</ref>