Quinqui
jargon
Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a partic ...
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'', with elements of
Caló, a dialect of the Spanish
Roma. 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, Can ...
the word is associated with references to delinquent,
petty thief, 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, 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)
*
Yeniche people
*
Sarakatsani
*
Gacería
*
Irish Travellers
Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...
*
Vaqueiros de alzada
References
Languages of Spain
Spanish dialects of Spain
Cant languages
Modern nomads
Occupational cryptolects
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