Romanian is so distant and different from Lombardic, Occitan, Walloon, Catalan, Galician, Castilian, Portugese and all the other Romance languages - should it not be put in a special category? Perhaps it should be called Eastern Latin or Slavo-Greek Latin?
Is Romanian really a Romance language?
Of course it is. Romanian is as romance as Italian. It is even closer to Latin in certain aspects than the rest of romance languages.
Non, le *roum*ain porte très bien son nom. Il s'agit d'une langue *rom*ane. Au même titre que le wallon, le ligure ou le gascon.
Walloons, Gascons and Lombards can all understand simple sentences written in Italian, Spanish or Portugese, but Romanian texts will be inintelligible to them.
How come do you know that? I understand simple sentences writen in Romanian.
"How come do you know that? I understand simple sentences writen in Romanian. "
Have a look at Romanian Wikipedia and compare the intelligibility of the texts with Italian or Spanish
Have a look at Romanian Wikipedia and compare the intelligibility of the texts with Italian or Spanish
Mutual intelligibility does not disqualifies Romanian for being a romance language, it simply evolved differently than Western romance languages, thus the lower relative mutual intelligibility. English and German are not mutual intelligible at all and they still belong to the Germanic family of languages. With Romanian and Italian it happens the same.
Romanian and Italian are intelligible to a certain extent and Italian is the closest romance language to Romanian...Some experts in the romance languages describe Romanian and Italian as eastern Romance languages, unlike French, Catalan, Spanish and Portuguese, which belong to the western group.
"Walloons, Gascons and Lombards can all understand simple sentences written in Italian, Spanish or Portugese"
— Absolutely wrong (at least as far as Walloons are concerned).
The simplest Italian or Spanish sentences generally can't be understood by French speakers without any previous exposure.
Examples: "Muchas gracias", "obrigado", "divieto di sosta", "e pericoloso sporgersi", "fermata pulman" etc.
I don't think Romanian would be much more difficult in this respect.
On the other hand, German "Guten Morgen", Dutch "Dank U", Swedish "Varning" or "busstopp" are quite transparent to English-speakers.
— Absolutely wrong (at least as far as Walloons are concerned).
The simplest Italian or Spanish sentences generally can't be understood by French speakers without any previous exposure.
Examples: "Muchas gracias", "obrigado", "divieto di sosta", "e pericoloso sporgersi", "fermata pulman" etc.
I don't think Romanian would be much more difficult in this respect.
On the other hand, German "Guten Morgen", Dutch "Dank U", Swedish "Varning" or "busstopp" are quite transparent to English-speakers.
<<should it not be put in a special category>>
As the Guest above points out, Romanian is put in own category (along with other Vlach languages like Aromanian, IstroRomanian, etc): the "Eastern Romance Group".
Italian is NOT a member of the eastern group, but of the Italo-Western (along wth other Western languages like French, Spanish), but belongs to a separate sub-group: the "Italo-Dalmatian", where French and Spanish belong to the "Western" subgroup.
<<Au même titre que le wallon, le ligure ou le gascon. >>
Nice plug there to reinforce those languages more into the sphere of the Romance group (NOT that they aren't--They are.)! Better examples would have been Italian, Spanish, French. Though not incorrect by any stretch...why *those*??? --just seems a little ODD.
<<English and German are not mutual intelligible at all and they still belong to the Germanic family of languages.>>
Using English and German as a comparison to the Romance languages like French to Romanian is like comparing apples to turnips!
French and Romanian, in fact, ALL Romance languages are all descended from the same language: Vulgar Latin--thus they share a common origin, and a recent common origin at that. German and English do not share a common origin in the same sense that Romance languages do. Their common link, *West Germanic*, was never a recorded language, and may have consisted of several loosely related dialects.
An apples to apples comparison like English to German in the Romance group would be like if Falician (sibling language of Latin) had daughter languages, and you compared *those* languages to French. That would be an equal relationship.
German and English are not that closely related.
English, Scots and Yola (and maybe Frisian, though written records of *Anglo-Frisian* are wanting) are like Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian.
As the Guest above points out, Romanian is put in own category (along with other Vlach languages like Aromanian, IstroRomanian, etc): the "Eastern Romance Group".
Italian is NOT a member of the eastern group, but of the Italo-Western (along wth other Western languages like French, Spanish), but belongs to a separate sub-group: the "Italo-Dalmatian", where French and Spanish belong to the "Western" subgroup.
<<Au même titre que le wallon, le ligure ou le gascon. >>
Nice plug there to reinforce those languages more into the sphere of the Romance group (NOT that they aren't--They are.)! Better examples would have been Italian, Spanish, French. Though not incorrect by any stretch...why *those*??? --just seems a little ODD.
<<English and German are not mutual intelligible at all and they still belong to the Germanic family of languages.>>
Using English and German as a comparison to the Romance languages like French to Romanian is like comparing apples to turnips!
French and Romanian, in fact, ALL Romance languages are all descended from the same language: Vulgar Latin--thus they share a common origin, and a recent common origin at that. German and English do not share a common origin in the same sense that Romance languages do. Their common link, *West Germanic*, was never a recorded language, and may have consisted of several loosely related dialects.
An apples to apples comparison like English to German in the Romance group would be like if Falician (sibling language of Latin) had daughter languages, and you compared *those* languages to French. That would be an equal relationship.
German and English are not that closely related.
English, Scots and Yola (and maybe Frisian, though written records of *Anglo-Frisian* are wanting) are like Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian.
...cont.
The relationship shared by the Scandinavian languages is also a mirror image of the Romance group relationships.
Thus Landsmaal or Faroese are to Sweedish as Romanian is to Spanish and Portuguese.
The relationship shared by the Scandinavian languages is also a mirror image of the Romance group relationships.
Thus Landsmaal or Faroese are to Sweedish as Romanian is to Spanish and Portuguese.
I'm not sure Romanian is that different from other Romance languages... Found some simple phrases on the internet that may serve as an example (I'm comparing to Portuguese, but I think some are similar to French and so on... you can add up to it if you like..):
Ro. Salut!
En. Hello!
Pt. Olá!
Fr. Salut!
Ro. Da
En. Yes
Pt. Sim
Ro. Nu
En. No
Pt. Não
Ro. Va rog.
En. Please (plural or formal) (I beg from you)
Pt. Por favor (Vos rogo)
Ro. Te rog.
En. Please (informal).
Pt. Por favor (Te rogo)
Ro. Multumesc.
En. Thank you.
Pt. Obrigado (Muito obrigado?)
Ro. Cu placere.
En. You're welcome.
Pt. De nada (Com prazer)
Ro. Imi pare rau.
En. I am sorry.
Pt. Sinto muito.
Ro. Ajutor!
En. Help!
Pt. Ajuda!
Ro. Unde este toaleta?
En. Where is the toilet?
Pt. Onde está/ é a toalete?
Ro. Ocupat!
En. Taken!
Pt. Ocupado!
Ro. La reverede.
En. Good-bye.
Pt. Adeus
Fr. Au revoir
Ro. Salut!
En. Hello!
Pt. Olá!
Fr. Salut!
Ro. Da
En. Yes
Pt. Sim
Ro. Nu
En. No
Pt. Não
Ro. Va rog.
En. Please (plural or formal) (I beg from you)
Pt. Por favor (Vos rogo)
Ro. Te rog.
En. Please (informal).
Pt. Por favor (Te rogo)
Ro. Multumesc.
En. Thank you.
Pt. Obrigado (Muito obrigado?)
Ro. Cu placere.
En. You're welcome.
Pt. De nada (Com prazer)
Ro. Imi pare rau.
En. I am sorry.
Pt. Sinto muito.
Ro. Ajutor!
En. Help!
Pt. Ajuda!
Ro. Unde este toaleta?
En. Where is the toilet?
Pt. Onde está/ é a toalete?
Ro. Ocupat!
En. Taken!
Pt. Ocupado!
Ro. La reverede.
En. Good-bye.
Pt. Adeus
Fr. Au revoir
Curiously Hello(salut) and good-bye (la reverede) are strangely in Romanian and in French. Did the Romanians imitate the French? Considering that Romania belongs to the Francophony it is probable.
Ro. Salut!
En. Hello!
Pt. Olá!
Fr. Salut!
Sp. Hola!
Ro. Da
En. Yes
Pt. Sim
Sp. Si
Ro. Nu
En. No
Pt. Não
Sp. No
Ro. Va rog.
En. Please (plural or formal) (I beg from you)
Pt. Por favor (Vos rogo)
Sp. Por favor (Os ruego)
Ro. Te rog.
En. Please (informal).
Pt. Por favor (Te rogo)
Sp. Por favor (Te ruego)
Ro. Multumesc.
En. Thank you.
Pt. Obrigado (Muito obrigado?)
Sp. Gracias (Muchas gracias?)
Ro. Cu placere.
En. You're welcome.
Pt. De nada (Com prazer)
Sp. De nada (Un placer)
Ro. Imi pare rau.
En. I am sorry.
Pt. Sinto muito.
Sp. Lo siento.
Ro. Ajutor!
En. Help!
Pt. Ajuda!
Sp. Ayuda! Socorro! Auxilio!
Ro. Unde este toaleta?
En. Where is the toilet?
Pt. Onde está/ é a toalete?
Sp. Donde esta el bano? Donde estan los servicios?
Ro. Ocupat!
En. Taken!
Pt. Ocupado!
Sp. Ocupado!
Ro. La reverede.
En. Good-bye.
Pt. Adeus
Fr. Au revoir
Sp. Adios
En. Hello!
Pt. Olá!
Fr. Salut!
Sp. Hola!
Ro. Da
En. Yes
Pt. Sim
Sp. Si
Ro. Nu
En. No
Pt. Não
Sp. No
Ro. Va rog.
En. Please (plural or formal) (I beg from you)
Pt. Por favor (Vos rogo)
Sp. Por favor (Os ruego)
Ro. Te rog.
En. Please (informal).
Pt. Por favor (Te rogo)
Sp. Por favor (Te ruego)
Ro. Multumesc.
En. Thank you.
Pt. Obrigado (Muito obrigado?)
Sp. Gracias (Muchas gracias?)
Ro. Cu placere.
En. You're welcome.
Pt. De nada (Com prazer)
Sp. De nada (Un placer)
Ro. Imi pare rau.
En. I am sorry.
Pt. Sinto muito.
Sp. Lo siento.
Ro. Ajutor!
En. Help!
Pt. Ajuda!
Sp. Ayuda! Socorro! Auxilio!
Ro. Unde este toaleta?
En. Where is the toilet?
Pt. Onde está/ é a toalete?
Sp. Donde esta el bano? Donde estan los servicios?
Ro. Ocupat!
En. Taken!
Pt. Ocupado!
Sp. Ocupado!
Ro. La reverede.
En. Good-bye.
Pt. Adeus
Fr. Au revoir
Sp. Adios
">Curiously Hello(salut) and good-bye (la reverede) are strangely in Romanian and in French. Did the Romanians imitate the French? Considering that Romania belongs to the Francophony it is probable.<"
Romanians borrowed a vast use of words from the Romance tongues, circa 40%, either directly or indirectly thru French, Italian or Latin. Most are neologisms, and some of them are rarely used in the country-side. The capital of Romania is where these "neologisms" are used ad nauseam.
Romanians borrowed a vast use of words from the Romance tongues, circa 40%, either directly or indirectly thru French, Italian or Latin. Most are neologisms, and some of them are rarely used in the country-side. The capital of Romania is where these "neologisms" are used ad nauseam.