Vlaheşte
Megleno-Romanian
Indo-European
Megleno-Romanian (Vlaheşte, "Vlach speech") is one of the four Eastern Romance languages, the third-smallest after Istro-Romanian (now nearly extinct). Spoken in the Meglen Valley straddling the Greece–North Macedonia border by ~5,000 ethnic Vlachs, Megleno-Romanian descended from the same medieval Vlach migrations that produced Aromanian (rup) but settled further east in the Macedonian highlands. Linguistically, Megleno-Romanian shares Eastern Romance features with Romanian (definite article suffixed, distinctive case morphology, Slavic vocabulary loans) but with significant Bulgarian/Macedonian Slavic influence. UNESCO classifies severely endangered with intergenerational transmission largely lost.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Megleno-Romanian
Water
apâ
/ˈapɨ/
Fire
foc
/fok/
Sun
soari
/ˈsoari/
Moon
lunâ
/ˈlunɨ/
Star
steauã
/ˈste̯awə/
Mother
mumâ
/ˈmumɨ/
Father
tatâ
/ˈtatɨ/
I
io
/jo/
You
tu
/tu/
Name
numi
/ˈnumi/
Eye
ocl
/okl/
Hand
mâna
/ˈmɨna/
Heart
inima
/ˈinima/
Love
ublami
/ˈublami/
Tree
lemnu
/lemnu/
House
casa
/ˈkasa/
Dog
câni
/ˈkɨni/
Cat
mâța
/ˈmɨtsa/
Eat
mâcari
/mɨˈkari/
Drink
beari
/ˈbeari/
One
unu
/ˈunu/
Two
doi
/doj/
Hello
ubavu
/uˈbavu/
Thank you
hăirau
/hɨiˈrau/
Good
bunu
/ˈbunu/
Cuckoo
cuc
/kuk/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European languages
| Meaning | Megleno-Romanian | Aromanian | Romanian | Chavacano | Interlingue | Old Italian (Dantesque) | Old Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | apâ /ˈapɨ/ | apâ /ˈapɨ/ | apă /apə/ | agua /ˈaɡwa/ | aqua /ˈakwa/ | acqua /ˈakːwa/ | agua /ˈaɣwa/ |
| Fire | foc /fok/ | foc /fok/ | foc /fok/ | fuego /ˈfweɡo/ | foy /foj/ | foco /ˈfɔko/ | fuego /ˈfweɣo/ |
| Sun | soari /ˈsoari/ | soare /ˈso̯are/ | soare /so̯are/ | sol /sol/ | sole /ˈsole/ | sole /ˈsole/ | sol /sol/ |
| Moon | lunâ /ˈlunɨ/ | lunâ /ˈlunɨ/ | lună /lunə/ | luna /ˈluna/ | lune /ˈlune/ | luna /ˈluna/ | luna /ˈluna/ |
| Star | steauã /ˈste̯awə/ | steauã /ˈste̯awə/ | stea /ste̯a/ | estrella /esˈtɾeja/ | stelle /ˈstele/ | stella /ˈstella/ | estrella /esˈtɾeʎa/ |
| Mother | mumâ /ˈmumɨ/ | mumâ /ˈmumɨ/ | mamă /mamə/ | nana /ˈnana/ | matre /ˈmatre/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ | madre /ˈmaðre/ |
| Father | tatâ /ˈtatɨ/ | tatâ /ˈtatɨ/ | tată /tatə/ | tata /ˈtata/ | patre /ˈpatre/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ | padre /ˈpaðre/ |
| I | io /jo/ | io /jo/ | eu /jew/ | yo /jo/ | yo /jo/ | io /ˈio/ | yo /jo/ |
| You | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /ˈtu/ | tú /tu/ |
| Name | numi /ˈnumi/ | numã /ˈnumə/ | nume /ˈnume/ | nombre /ˈnombɾe/ | nómine /ˈnomine/ | nome /ˈnoːme/ | nombre /ˈnombɾe/ |
| Eye | ocl /okl/ | oclju /ˈokʎu/ | ochi /okʲ/ | ojo /ˈoho/ | ocul /oˈkul/ | occhio /ˈɔkːjo/ | ojo /ˈoʒo/ |
| Hand | mâna /ˈmɨna/ | mânâ /ˈmɨnɨ/ | mână /mɨnə/ | mano /ˈmano/ | manu /ˈmanu/ | mano /ˈmano/ | mano /ˈmano/ |
| Heart | inima /ˈinima/ | inimâ /ˈinimɨ/ | inimă /inimə/ | corazón /koraˈson/ | cordie /ˈkordie/ | core /ˈkɔre/ | coraçón /koɾaˈtson/ |
| Love | ublami /ˈublami/ | vreari /ˈvreari/ | iubire /jubire/ | ama /ˈama/ | amore /aˈmore/ | amore /aˈmore/ | amor /aˈmoɾ/ |
| Tree | lemnu /lemnu/ | arbur /ˈarbur/ | copac /kopak/ | árbol /ˈaɾbol/ | árbor /ˈarbor/ | albero /ˈalbero/ | árbor /ˈaɾβoɾ/ |
| House | casa /ˈkasa/ | casâ /ˈkasɨ/ | casă /kasə/ | casa /ˈkasa/ | dom /dom/ | casa /ˈkasa/ | casa /ˈkaza/ |
| Dog | câni /ˈkɨni/ | câni /ˈkɨni/ | câine /kɨine/ | perro /ˈpeɾo/ | cane /ˈkane/ | cane /ˈkane/ | can /kan/ |
| Cat | mâța /ˈmɨtsa/ | cãtushã /kɨˈtuʃɨ/ | pisică /pisikə/ | gato /ˈɡato/ | cat /kat/ | gatto /ˈɡatːo/ | gato /ˈɡato/ |
| Eat | mâcari /mɨˈkari/ | mâcari /mɨˈkari/ | a mânca /a mɨnka/ | come /koˈme/ | manjar /manˈʒar/ | mangiare /manˈdʒare/ | comer /koˈmeɾ/ |
| Drink | beari /ˈbeari/ | beari /ˈbeari/ | a bea /a be̯a/ | bebe /beˈbe/ | trincar /trinˈkar/ | bevere /ˈbevere/ | bever /beˈveɾ/ |
| One | unu /ˈunu/ | unu /ˈunu/ | unu /unu/ | uno /ˈuno/ | un /un/ | uno /ˈuno/ | uno /ˈuno/ |
| Two | doi /doj/ | doi /doj/ | doi /doj/ | dos /dos/ | du /du/ | due /ˈduːe/ | dos /dos/ |
| Hello | ubavu /uˈbavu/ | bunâ-vã ziuâ /ˈbunɨ vɨ ˈziwɨ/ | salut /salut/ | buenas /ˈbwenas/ | salute /saˈlute/ | salute /saˈlute/ | salud /saˈlud/ |
| Thank you | hăirau /hɨiˈrau/ | haristo /hariˈsto/ | mulțumesc /multsumesk/ | gracias /ˈɡɾasjas/ | mersí /merˈsi/ | mercede /merˈtʃede/ | mercedes /meɾˈtseðes/ |
| Good | bunu /ˈbunu/ | bun /bun/ | bun /bun/ | bueno /ˈbweno/ | bon /bon/ | buono /ˈbwɔno/ | bueno /ˈbweno/ |
| Cuckoo | cuc /kuk/ | cuc /kuk/ | cuc /kuk/ | — | cucú /kuˈku/ | cucco /ˈkukko/ | cuco /ˈkuko/ |
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