Osijek University to Host Presentation on Rotwelsch, Secret Language of Medieval Itinerants

The Faculty of Philosophy at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia, is scheduled to feature a scholarly presentation on Rotwelsch, the clandestine vernacular used by marginalized populations across medieval Europe. This event, integrated into the FUZ&JA science popularization project, is set for December 3, 2025, aiming to disseminate academic findings to the public through lectures and workshops.

Rotwelsch, historically spoken by groups such as vagrants, beggars, and criminals, served as a vital mechanism for evading state scrutiny and maintaining communal secrecy during periods of social upheaval and systematic persecution. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. sc. Kristian Novak, an associate professor and writer, who will detail the historical development and structural complexity of this specialized code. Dr. Novak completed his German and Croatian studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in 2005 and earned a doctorate in general linguistics in 2011. His academic interests include historical sociolinguistics and multilingualism, with past positions held at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and the Faculty of Philosophy in Rijeka.

The linguistic composition of Rotwelsch is a complex hybrid, predominantly drawing from German dialects while incorporating significant lexical and grammatical elements borrowed from Yiddish, Romani, Slavic languages, and other regional tongues. This hybridization rendered the language opaque to outsiders, reinforcing its utility as a survival tool for rejected communities. Research indicates that Rotwelsch is technically classified as a sociolect rather than a complete language, as it relies on the grammatical structure of another language to function, serving instead to bind a specific community while excluding others. The term Rotwelsch is often interpreted as "beggar's cant," with 'rot' meaning beggar and 'welsch' signifying foreign or incomprehensible.

Beyond its verbal component, the itinerant underground that utilized Rotwelsch also employed a system of secret pictograms known as *zinken*, which were carved onto surfaces to convey warnings about authorities or to signal hospitable households. These signs were crucial for navigating hostile environments, much like the vocabulary itself, which contained rich terms for police, arrest, and escape. The infusion of Hebrew and Yiddish vocabulary, such as *gannef* for thief, likely reflects the historical reality where itinerant professions were often adopted by diverse rootless individuals, including many Jewish people restricted from landownership during the Early Modern period.

The forthcoming presentation at Osijek University will contextualize this language not merely as criminal jargon, but as a testament to the resourcefulness and resilience of populations existing outside mainstream societal structures. The enduring study of Rotwelsch offers a unique lens through which to examine the linguistic strategies employed by marginalized groups to foster solidarity and maintain identity against systemic pressures throughout European history.