Amalinoglossa is a research group of Roma and non-Roma women, inspired by the principles of linguistic justice and critical pedagogy. The group was founded after the presentation made by members of AMKE REVMA at the “International Mother Language Day” conference (University of Thessaly) in 2023, which deeply moved us, while at the same time making us realize the need for a deeper understanding of the Romani language and culture within and outside the academic sphere. We therefore came into contact as Volos Linguistic Landscape Research Group with AMKE REVMA and, more specifically, with our (later) teacher Georgia Kalpazidou, with the aim of creating a co-learning group/community of Greek Romani language. Our group, Amalinoglossa, began its activities in the winter semester of 2024-2025 by learning the Arli dialect, as it is spoken in Dendropotamos, Thessaloniki. Upon completion of the seminar courses, in the spring semester, our group became a member of ERIAC – (European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture), while at the same time it began the design and creation of a board game to promote the sociolinguistic approach to the Romani language and culture.
Now, continuing our action as Amalinoglossa, we conduct research on the Romani language and culture, as it is identified and spoken in Greece. We are interested in the further development of Romani Sociolinguistics in the Greek academic context, which has not yet been sufficiently researched, thus giving visibility to Romani Linguistics as an academic field. We also engage in language activism concerning the creation of more inclusive educational spaces, and raising critical language awareness of local societies fighting against social stereotypes and racism.
Specifically, drawing on applied sociolinguistics, we work on the following research axes:
- comparative study of Greek Romani dialects and their contact with Greek language
- language attitudes, language ideologies, and (educational) language policies regarding Romani
- language and culture
- language rights of Roma communities
- sociolinguistic inequalities in formal and non-formal language education
- intercultural/multilingual eduscapes-schoolscapes
Additionally, drawing on critical pedagogy, we design and implement research-based educational interventions that value Roma students’ sociolinguistic repertoires. This includes the development of arts- and game-based educational materials, teachers’ training, and the planning of academic and educational events for the promotion of intercultural dialogue.
