This book is the first comprehensive overview in English of Romani. It opens with a discussion of the historical and linguistic origins of the Romani-speaking population. An in-depth and detailed discussion is devoted to the changes in the sound system, grammatical structure and lexicon that led to the formation of Proto-Romani and Early Romani. The book surveys current issues in the study of Romani by examining the phonology, morphology, syntactic typology and patterns of grammatical borrowing in the language, drawing on a comparative survey of the principal dialects. It offers a new model of dialect classification, describes the sociolinguistic situation of Romani, examines its contribution to other languages and slangs, and discusses recent and current codification attempts as well as changes in function and status." The book provides an essential reference for anyone interested in this fascinating language.