Quinqui
jargon
Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The conte ...
is associated with ''
quincalleros'' (
tinker
Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils.
Description
''Tinker'' for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as ''tyckner'' or ''tinkler''. Some travelling groups and Romani p ...
s), a semi-nomadic group who live mainly in the northern half of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. They prefer to be called ''mercheros''. They are reduced in number and possibly vanishing as a distinct group.
The language is an old form of Castilian, ''
Germanía
Germanía () is the Spanish term for the argot used by criminals or in jails in Spain during 16th and 17th centuries. Its purpose is to keep outsiders out of the conversation. The ultimate origin of the word is the Latin word , through Catalan ...
'', with elements of
Caló, a dialect of the Spanish
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
. The term comes from the word ''quincallería'' (ironmongery), from
ironmonger
Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...
s who originated this
cant
Cant, CANT, canting, or canted may refer to:
Language
* Cant (language), a secret language
* Beurla Reagaird, a language of the Scottish Highland Travellers
* Scottish Cant, a language of the Scottish Lowland Travellers
* Shelta or the Cant, a la ...
as part of their trade. Because the men were frequently blamed for petty crime, in modern
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
the word is associated with references to delinquent,
petty thief
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or Service (economics), services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal sho ...
, or hoodlum. The mercheros identify as a distinct group separate from the Roma ''
gitanos
The Romani in Spain, generally known by the exonym () or the endonym ''Calé'', belong to the Iberian Cale Romani subgroup, with smaller populations in Portugal (known as ) and in Southern France. Their sense of identity and cohesion stems f ...
''.
Scholars have many theories about the social origins of ''mercheros'', summarized as the following:
*Descendants of mechanical workers who arrived in Spain from central Europe in the 16th century;
*Descendants of peasants who lost their land in the 16th century;
*Descendants of intermarriage between the Roma and non-Roma populations;
*
Descendants of Muslims who became nomads after the expulsion in the 15th century to escape persecution; and/or
*A mixture of the above.
Notable mercheros
*
Eleuterio Sánchez
Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez (born 15 April 1942), known as El Lute, was at one time listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal and later became a published writer. He was a legendary Spanish outlaw who escaped several times from prison after bei ...
, a.k.a. ''
El Lute
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
'' (born 1942). A petty thief in his early life, he was convicted of armed robbery and murder; after escaping from prison, he was listed as "The Most Wanted" by the Spanish police. Later he earned a law degree and wrote five books. He was pardoned at age 39.
See also
*
Caló (Spanish Romani)
Calo, Caló, or Calò may refer to:
* Caló language, the language of the Iberian Romani
** Iberian Kale (''calé''):
*** Romani people in Spain, more frequently called ''gitanos''
*** Romani people in Portugal, more frequently called ''ciganos'' ...
*
Yeniche people
The Yenish (German: ''Jenische''; French: ''Yéniche'') are an itinerant group in Western Europe who live mostly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and parts of France, roughly centred on the Rhineland. A number of theorie ...
*
Sarakatsani
The Sarakatsani ( el, Σαρακατσάνοι, also written Karakachani, bg, каракачани) are an ethnic Greek population subgroup who were traditionally transhumant shepherds, native to Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring ...
*
Gacería
Extension of the Gacería in the province of Segovia
Gacería is the name of a slang or argot employed by the (or makers of the , or threshing-board, as well as threshing-sledge) and the (or makers of : metathesis of Spanish word sieve) in ...
*
Irish Travellers
Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally List of nomadic peoples#Peripatetic, peripatetic indigenous Ethnic group, ethno-cultural group ...
*
Vaqueiros de alzada
The Vaqueiros de Alzada ( Asturian: Vaqueiros d'Alzada, "nomadic cowherds" in Asturian language, from their word for cow, cognate of Spanish ) are a northern Spanish nomadic people in the mountains of Asturias and León, who traditionally practi ...
References
Languages of Spain
Spanish dialects of Spain
Cant languages
Modern nomads
Occupational cryptolects
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