Romanian language

Romanian language is a Romance language originating from the Eastern Romance branch. It is primarily spoken in Romania and Moldova.

History

The Romanian language has evolved from the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken in the Roman provinces of Dacia and Moesia. The first written record of a Romanian language text, a letter known as the "Letter of Neacșu from Câmpulung", is dated 1521.

Classification

Romanian is a part of the Balkan-Romance group that evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin, which separated from the Western Romance during the 5th–8th centuries. To distinguish it within that group, in comparative linguistics it is called Daco-Romanian as opposed to its closest relatives, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian.

Geographic distribution

Romanian is spoken as a first language by approximately 24 to 26 million people, and by another 4 million people as a second language. It is an official and national language of both Romania and Moldova and is one of the official languages of the European Union.

Phonology

The Romanian language has seven vowels and twenty-two consonants. It also has two diphthongs: /e̯a/ and /o̯a/.

Grammar

Romanian grammar is a typical Romance grammar with nominal declension and verbal conjugation. However, the verb morphology of Romanian shows a mix of Romance, Slavic, and other features.

Writing system

Romanian is written with a variant of the Latin alphabet, which was introduced in the 19th century. The Romanian alphabet is based on the Latin script with five additional letters Ă, Â, Î, Ș, and Ț.

See also

• Romanian phonology
• Romanian grammar
• Romanian alphabet
• Romanian literature
• Romanian culture