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Essay: From History of Romania Language

Which language?

Many people simply do not know which language is being spoken in Romania but a large number automatically assume that the language of Romania must be Russian and therefore it is quite surprising to discover that this is simply not true. In fact they have their own language which has evolved over hundreds of years to what it is today. Romania is a relatively small country which is located in Eastern Europe and what makes it further unique is the fact that it is the only country in that region which speaks what is known as a Romance language. Just as most other countries Romania have come through many periods of change as powers has shifted in that part of Europe. One of those periods which is significant in the history of Romania is the Dacian period. History tells us that they were the very first people to live in that area where Romania is situated today. The next period which is acknowledged to be influential as far as Romania is concerned is the Roman period. They defeated theDacian people and colonized the area which is now known as Romania. After them came the Slavic influence on this area and lastly in the 19th century followed the time of Re-Latinization.

The Dacian influence

There are many factors which has to be considered in the long history of Romania in order to get a complete picture of everything that is taken place. There are some influences in the Romanian language which can be traced back as far as two thousand years. History shows us that this area was occupied by the Dacian people at that time. The original Dacian people are widely believed to have spoken a Thracian tongue. Unfortunately history regarding the Dacian people is frustratingly vague and incomplete and the only things which is able to provide archaeologist with some clues is a couple of archaeological finds and also the few words which was recovered about that time. However there is evidence that the Romanian language have started to develop in this time. What we do know is that the Dacian people invested a lot of the time in agriculture. They also planted vineyards and archaeology show that they were skilled craftsmen who were able to forge effective weapons and also tools. They will also keepers of cattle and bees.

Many Dacian words were retained in the Romanian language

A lot of research has been done on the development of the Romanian language and linguists were especially interested to discover how many words in the Romanian language could be traced to its Dacian origin.Today it can be stated with certainty that no less than 160 words were undoubtedly inherited from the Dacian people. Many of those words describe different parts of the human body and also families. Then there are also many words which relate to agriculture, wine cultivation and the land which they were tilling. It is quite possible that more words will be discovered or will be proven to have come from the Dacian people. Something which is been of special interest to linguists is the specific type of words which has been inherited from the Dacian era. It is a very common occurrence to find traces of the original language in a new language even after thousands of years. It is also quite natural for those words to relate to things such as human body and also to family relations because this will always be the things which is most often discussed in the daily life of people. What is so interesting about the Dacian vocabulary is the fact that it tells us a significant amount about the Dacian people and the things which concern them most such as agriculture.

The Roman influence

Although the roots of Romania can be traced back to the Dacian era it is indisputable that the Romans played an even greater role in the development of Romania. Rome eventually defeated the Dacian people in 106 A.D. This led to a major colonization with a large number of people from all parts of the Roman Empire and this led to many marriage relationship between the colonists and the Dacian people. There are some people who feel that the Romanization of the Dacian people happen very quickly and there are many who feel that it could be explained because of the conquests of the native population. More advice on how to write language essays can be found here

The Slavic influence

The Slavs eventually came to the Dacia area in the seventh century. Their language also had a very large influence on the local language. They were even more committed to encourage cohabitation with the native population. However not only did theDacian people adopted many of the customs and the language of theSlavs but theSlavs also learn the Latin language. However many Roman words was eventually substituted forSlavonic words and this played a very important role in the formation of Romania.

A return to Latin

During the 1800s there was some attempts tore-Latinize the Romanian language. This can clearly be seen in the literature of that time. There was a lot of dissatisfaction with the Slavic influence on the Romanian language and many of the leaders of this time were very outspoken about the corruption of the Romanian language which has taken place. More examples of language essays can be found here.

Continuing changes in the Romanian language

Even in this modern times there is clear indications that constant changes is happening in the Romanian language. Just like with other modern languages new words is continually borrowed from other languages. Some of the influence comes fromFrench and since the revolution of 1989 the country has opened up to the rest of the world and American Englishis starting to make an impact on the Romanian language.

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