The Latin Roots of Romanian: A Romance Language in Eastern Europe

How did a Romance language survive in the heart of Eastern Europe, surrounded by Slavic, Hungarian, and Turkish influences? This episode traces the journey of the Romanian language from its Latin origins in Roman Dacia through centuries of evolution, foreign domination, and deliberate revival. We explore the Dacian substrate, the role of the Roman army and colonists in spreading Vulgar Latin, the formation of the Balkan Romance branch, and the emergence of the four main dialects: Daco-Romanian, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian. The conversation also covers the 18th-century Transylvanian School's efforts to Latinize the alphabet and vocabulary, the 19th-century debate over Cyrillic versus Latin script, and the modern standardization that forged a national identity. Along the way, we meet key figures like Petru Maior, Gheorghe Șincai, and Ion Budai-Deleanu, and discuss the controversial theory of Daco-Roman continuity. Perfect for anyone curious about how language shapes identity.

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