Megleno-Romanian language
From Freepedia
| Megleno-Romanian (Vlaheshte) | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Greece, Republic of Macedonia |
| Region: | Balkans |
| Total speakers: | 5,000-12,000 |
| Ranking: | Not in top 100 |
| Genetic classification: | Indo-European |
| Official status | |
| Official language of: | - |
| Regulated by: | - |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | - |
| ISO 639-2 | roa |
| SIL | RUQ |
| See also: Language – List of languages | |
Megleno-Romanian (known as Vlaheshte by speakers and Moglenitic, Meglenitic or Megleno-Romanian by linguists) is a Romance language, similar to Aromanian, spoken in the Moglená region of Greece, in a few villages in Republic of Macedonia and a village in Romania. Spoken by the Moglenite Vlachs, it is considered to be an endangered language.
Contents |
Name
The term "Megleno-Romanian" has been used by linguists who noticed the similarity to the Romanian language, as well as by certain Romanian nationalists who claim the language as a mere dialect of Romanian and its speakers as ethnic Romanians, even though they themselves self-identify as a separate people called Vlashi (see Etymology of Vlach for more on this term).
Geographic distribution
Megleno-Romanian is spoken in Greece in the Kilkis and Serres prefectures in Macedonia, as well as in the Republic of Macedonia. After WWI, some Megleno-Romanians moved to Romania, many of them settling in the Cerna village in the Tulcea County, in which about 1,200 continue to speak Megleno-Romanian.
Phonetics
Megleno-Romanian has some phonetical characteristics that are unique and can't be found in the other Eastern Romance languages. Among them are:
- it has long vowels: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū
- ă, â → o, a: câmp → comp (field), mânc → mānc (I eat)
- unaccentuated initial a disappears: adaug → daug (I add), afară → fară (outside), aduc → duc (I bring)
Vocabulary
Much of the vocabulary is of Latin origin and much of its phonetics and semantics is shared with Aromanian and Romanian:
- basilica > MR bisearică, DR biserică (church, originally "basilica")
- lumen > MR lumi, DR lume (world, originally "light")
- monumentum > MR murmint, DR mormânt (grave, originally "monument")
- strigis > MR strig, DR strig (I yell, originally "owl")
- draco > MR drac, DR drac (devil, originally "dragon")
Megleno-Romanian also contains some ancient Thracian or Dacian words that have cognates with Albanian (see Romanian substratum words):
- MR brad; DR brad; cf. Alb. bredh (fir tree)
- MR monz; DR mânz; cf. Alb. mës (colt)
- MR bucuros; DR bucuros; (happy) cf. Alb bukurë (beautiful)
There are also some words may have been of paleo-Slavic origin and that can be found in all the Eastern Romance languages:
- MR trup; DR trup (body); cf. Sl. trupŭ
- MR stăpon; Dr stăpân (master); cf. Sl. stopanŭ
There are a number of Byzantine and Modern Greek words, several dozens which are also found in Daco-Romanian and Aromanian and about 80 words that were borrowed via Bulgarian and other Balkanic languages. Prior to the creation of the modern state of Greece, Megleno-Romanian borrowed very few words directly from Greek.
- Gr. prósfatos > MR proaspit; DR proaspăt; (fresh)
- Gr. keramídi > MR chirămidă; DR cărămidă (brick)
- Gr. lemoni > MR limonă, via Bulg. limon (lemon)
The most important influence on Megleno-Romanian was the Bulgarian language, this influence being more profound than the influence exerted by Greek to Aromanian. Linguist Theodor Capidan argued that the words borrowed show some phonetical features of the Bulgarian language dialect spoken in the Rhodope Mountains. There are many instances where basic words of Latin origin that can still be found in Daco-Romanian and Aromanian were replaced by Bulgarian words:
- Bulg. drob > MR drob (liver);
- Bulg. nevĕsta > MR niveastă (wife); cf. DR nevastă
- Bulg. gora > MR goră (forest)
Classification
Megleno-Romanian is a member of the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family; more specifically, it is an Eastern Romance language, a language formed after the retreat of the Roman Empire from South-Eastern Europe. Some linguists consider it to be an intermediary between Romanian and Aromanian, often being considered either a dialect of Romanian or Aromanian or an independent language. It is closer to standard Romanian than the Aromanian spoken by a much larger community in the Pindus.
History
While the evolution of the Aromanian language can be explained by the fact that the Aromanians were isolated from the speakers of other Eastern Romance languages from the 9th century, it seems that the Moglenites and Romanians broke their linguistic union at a much later time; one theory is that the Vlashi were settled in the area some time around the 14th century by the Byzantines. Other theories reject this scenario.
External links
- Ethnologue, Megleno Romanian entry
- Theodor Capidan, Megleno-Romanian dictionary (in Romanian)
- Theodor Capidan, Meglenoromânii: istoria şi graiul lor (in Romanian)
- Asterios Koukoudis, Studies on the Vlachs
| Proto-Romanian language | |
| Northern | Southern Aromanian |
| Regulating bodies | |
