The origin of the Romanian language

and religionGrup Școlar de Telecomunicații și

Lucrări Publice Hunedoara

The great historian and literary critic George Călinescu in an extensive study on Romanian language formation stated: ”The Romanian believes in God, in angels, in fairies and was baptised by the priest at the church, where on Sunday makes the sign of the cross and prays…” What is it important in here? The fact that he used only words of Latin origin (a crede- to believe, biserica- church, preot- priest, cruce- cross,etc.) in his desire of reasoning the Roman origin of our language.

The Romanian language is part of the Romanic language family, together with French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Provencal, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian and Dalmatian ( extinct in the XIX-th century). All Romanic languages evolved from Latin, initially spoken in the area around Rome, which extended over the vast territory of Roman Empire. In the V-th century A.C, the Empire collapses, the relations with the centre break off (Rome) but also between the roman provinces. In the conquered territories the vulgar Latin (the popular one) was imposed as the language used by the colonists settled in those places and used in the Roman administration as an unique way of communication with the native people.

The classic Latin is a written version of Latin, used since the III-rd century B.C untill VI-th century A.C.

As the Empire’s official language and as a language spoken by the well-educated people, it rigorously observes the linguistic standards and is preserved as a literary language in the sayings of classical authors( Vergiliu, Ovidiu….). From the VI-th century A.C, the cultivated Latin survives as a language of medieval culture, all over Europe( in scientific works, in the correspondence between the scholars of the time, in the imperial chancelleries, but also as a language of worship of western christians.

The popular Latin( vulgate ) represents the oral version of the Latin language, used in familiar speech, receptive to innovations and ignoring the normative aspects; in each province there appear changes determined by the language spoken by the locals (thus are created the premises for the appearance of the Romance languages). In our country the popular Latin’s transformation process takes several centuries and has some features in the area between northern and southern Danube, due to economic and social life rusticity. (the linguists use the term of Danubian Latin).

The vocabulary proves Latin heritage, at the analysis of the main lexical elements. The evaluation criterion is represented by the frequent use of words by the speakers. Are of Latin origin the words from the circulating semantic series: man, family, colors, nature, vegetation, domestic animals, daily actions , the phenomena of nature, etc.

Campus > Câmp < Field Bene > Bine < Right Oculus > Ochi < Eye Lana > Lână < Wool Bonus > Bun < Good

Tempus > Timp < Time Solem > Soare < Sun

Filius > Fiu < Son Clarus > Clar < Clear

Ventum > Vânt < Wind Dentum > Dinte < Tooth

Publius Ovidiu Naso(43 B.C-17 A.C)

He is a Latin poet, native of Sulmo. He writes lyrical, elegiac, erotic and customs observation poetry during the Augustan Rome and because of this he was exiled to TOMIS by the emperor Octavian Augustus. During his exile he writes “TRISTELE” and “PONTICELE”. He made numerous attempts, through letters sent to Rome, to obtain Augustus’ grace. All remained unsuccessful, even after Augustus’ death; his descendant ,Tiberius, did not call him back to Rome. He is buried in the city of TOMIS( today Constanta).

He is the first singer , in lines, of a territory from our country. Here it is a description of its first terrible winter spent at TOMIS:

“When the sad and terrible winter comes And the country dresses with its white garmentAnd when in the north there is snow and icy wind,Then see the barbarians knocked down by the blizzard. … When the wild icy wind, with its rough blowing Freezes the water of the sea, or the whirling IstruAs soon as the icy plain lays dawnThe barbarians rush in on their quick horses!.”

„Hic ego qui iaceo tenerorum lusor amorumIngenio perii, Naso poeta meo.At tibi qui transis, ne sit grave quisquis amasti,Dicere: Nasonis molliter ossa cubent”.

In Theodor Naum’s literary translation :

„Under this stone lies Ovid, the singer of delicate love, killed by its own talent,Oh, you that pass this way, if you have ever loved, pray for him: his sleep may be quiet.”

Ovidiu’s statue from Tomis

For its gravestone, Ovidiu composed- partly pathetic, partly ironic –the following text, under the form of a letter sent to his wife (Tristia, III, 73-76):

THE EMERGENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON ROMANIAN

TERRITORY

According to tradition, the Christianity was introduced to us since the apostolic age. It is known that after “Lord’s ascension to heaven, the Apostles did not remain too long in Jerusalem. They spread throughout the world to preach the gospel of Jesus, as Origenes writes: Thomas went to preach to the Parts, Matthew went to Ethiopia, Bartholomew in western India, John in Asia, Andrew in Scythia, Peter in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia and Capadokia, Paul went from Jerusalem to Illyria.”The Christianity spread into Dacia, found under Roman domination, because of the merchants, travellers, soldiers and Christian priests, came from other parts of the Roman Empire; it was then a spread from person to person.

The archaeological excavations from our country revealed significant material evidences regarding the age of Christianity in these parts. One of the most thrilling discoveries of the kind , who proves the Christianization of our ancestors since the first century A.C., is the one made in the archaeological site of Brad, the village Negri, Bacau county, but talked about very little and only among the historians. It is a dacian lid, made of painted ceramics, preserved in fragmentary state, having as a decorative motif the fish, a specific symbol of the early period of Christianity.

Evidences ,about the precence of Christianity on the roman territories from northern Danube, appear since the third century. As a result of the archeological excavations done in the twentieth century, there have been discovered many christian relics such as: crosses from Barbosi and the rushlights from Tomis in Dobrogea; a stone with the image of the“ Good Shepard” found at Potaissa (Turda); an image representing Jona’s story; a gravestone inscription of a family in which some members were Christians. All these artifacts date from the III-rd century A.C. .

From the IV-th to VI-th century are dated: the rushlights with a cross found at Apulum (Alba-Iulia) and Potaissa; the bronze rushlights with a cross and a dove ( the symbol of the Holy Spirit) from Dej; the ceramic vessels with a cross from Porolissum,Salaj county and from Poian, Covasna county. One of the most interesting artifacts are the clay seals used for stamping the bread for the Eucharistia (Lord’s supper) found at Jabar, Timis county.

In the Slaveni village,from Olt county, there are the ruins of the oldest church of our country ( IV-th century). The ruins of a Christian basilica were found at Sucidava, Olt county;the basilica is dated VI-th century A.C.

In Dacia, the same as in the other parts of the Roman Empire, there were martyrs, people who gave their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ. The name of some of them remained known till our days:Zoticos, Atalos, Kamasis, Filipopos, Narcis şi Marcelin, Epictet-the priest. The toughest persecutions against the Christians occurred during the kings Decius, Valerian, and Diocleţian .

In the year 313 The emperor Constantine the Great recognized Christianity as an accepted religion within the Roman Empire, thing which led to continuous increase in the number of Christian communities and state support for church organisation.

Ego Zenovius Votum Posui (Me, Zenovie, I made this gift). The famous gift of a certain Zenoviu, this Paleo-Christian object from the Ardeal’s heart, discovered at Biertan, near Sibiu, certifies the intensity of Christian living in Transylvania at the beginning of the forth century A.C.

Following the statements we can say that the Romanian people is among the oldest Christianized nations in Europe. For nearly 2000 years we can speak of Romanian Christianity.

Christianity is an important element of our identity as a people, the Christianization happening simultaneously with the ethno-genesis of the Romanian people.

Zlătior Andrei

Clasa a XI-a C