# The Varying Translations Of "Gypsy" In Verdi's "Anvil Chorus"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-varying-translations-of-gypsy-in-verdis-anvil-chorus/850543>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 28, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-varying-translations-of-gypsy-in-verdis-anvil-chorus/850543 "2020-03-28T22:17:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-varying-translations-of-gypsy-in-verdis-anvil-chorus/850543/1 "2020-03-28T22:17:34Z")

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In Verdi’s _Anvil Chorus_, the choir sings as follows:

_Chi del gitano i giorni abbella?_ … Which translates to something not unlike “Who brightens the gypsy boy’s day?”

And then they answer their own question with _La zingarella!_ … “The gypsy girl!”

Verdi is using two words for “gypsy” here: “Gitano” for the boy and “Zingarella” for the girl.

My translator app gives me “Zingaro” as “Gypsy,” so it makes sense that “gypsy girl” would translate as “zingarella.” But why not “Zingaro/Zingarella” or “Gitano/Gitanella”?

Is one word “proper” and one a pejorative (or perhaps a colloquialism)? Or was Verdi just trying to mix things up?

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**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-varying-translations-of-gypsy-in-verdis-anvil-chorus/850543/2 "2020-04-01T02:48:14Z")

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Of course I have no idea, but thanks for the interesting discussion.

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**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-varying-translations-of-gypsy-in-verdis-anvil-chorus/850543/3 "2020-04-01T12:09:16Z")

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My understanding is that there are two main types of exonyms for the Rom people in Europe:

- ones related to the word “Egyptian”, like gitano
- ones related to the Greek word “athínganos” which means something like “untouchable”, like zingaro

> **[Romani people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people#Exonyms)**
>
> The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani /ˈroʊməni/, /ˈrɒ-/), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group and traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide with significant concentrations in the Americas.
> In the English language the Romani people are widely known by the exonym Gypsies (or Gipsies), which is considered pejorative by some Romani people due to its connotations of illegality and irregulari...