Languages of Romania
Encyclopedia
In Romania there are several spoken languages. Beside Romanian
, the only official language nationwide, other spoken languages include Hungarian
, Romani
, Ukrainian
, and German
.
in 1989, the various minority languages have received more rights, and Romania currently has extensive laws relating to the rights of minorities to use their own language in local administration and the judicial system.
While Romanian is the only official language at the national and local level, there are other 14 living languages in Romania. The Romanian laws include linguistic rights for all minority groups that form over 20% of a locality's population. This includes the adoption of signage in minority languages, access to local administration and justice systems, the right to receive education in that language, and a series of other rights.
, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
until 1918 (Northern Transylvania
was part of Hungary again between 1940 and 1947) though there are Hungarian speaking minorities in other parts of the country as well.
Roma people make up the second largest minority in Romania: 241,617 Romani speakers were reported in the 2002 census, or 1.1% of the total population. Dialects of the Romani language spoken in Romania include Balkan Romani
, Vlax Romani, and Carpathian Romani. The Romani language is used in local signage, administration, education and justice in 79 communes
and one town (Budeşti
).
, where they make up 6.67% of the population, but also in Suceava
and Timiş
counties. Ukrainians make up the majority in four communes: Bistra, Maramureş
, Rona de Sus, Maramureş, Ştiuca, Timiş and Copăcele, Caraş-Severin.
There are many different groups of Germans in Romania, the largest of whom have historically been known as the Transylvania Saxons. Germans once constituted a much larger portion of the Romanian population than they do today, though they are still the fourth largest ethno-linguistic group. In 1938 there were 700,000, and in 1992 there were 111,301, but the 2002 census reported only 45,129 Germans . Since 1989 they have been represented by the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania
, which functions in the German language.
There are 29,890 Lipovans
, ethnically Russian emigrants from the Russian Empire who left because of religious differences with the Russian Orthodox Church
, in Romania. They mostly speak the Russian language
, and most live in Tulcea County
.
speakers make up 0.1% of the population, with a community of some 28,714 speakers. The Turkish speaking community is largely a legacy of the Ottoman
rule of a large part of Romania. They live in the southern parts of Romania (Dobrudja).
also make up roughly 0.1% of the Romanian population, with a community of 21,482 speakers. Most, Crimean Tatars
, speak the Crimean Tatar language
, and the greater part of the community lives in Constanţa County
.
Lesser spoken languages in Romania include: Serbian
(20,377), Slovak
(16,108), Bulgarian
(6,747), Croatian
(6,355), Greek
(4,146).
Event we don't know exactly the percents, the Spanish
and the Italian
are very popular and speaked by Romanians. This is because there are around 2 millions of Romanians working in Italia and around 1 million of Romanians working in Spain
.
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, the only official language nationwide, other spoken languages include Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Official language
According to the 2002 Romanian Census, Romanian is spoken by 91% of the population as a primary language. According to the Romanian Constitution and the law 1206 of 2006 the only official language in Romania is the Romanian Language both at national and local level.Minority languages
After the fall of Romania's communist governmentCommunist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
in 1989, the various minority languages have received more rights, and Romania currently has extensive laws relating to the rights of minorities to use their own language in local administration and the judicial system.
While Romanian is the only official language at the national and local level, there are other 14 living languages in Romania. The Romanian laws include linguistic rights for all minority groups that form over 20% of a locality's population. This includes the adoption of signage in minority languages, access to local administration and justice systems, the right to receive education in that language, and a series of other rights.
Hungarian
Hungarian is the largest minority language in Romania: the 2002 census listed 1,447,544 native Hungarian speakers in the country, or 6.7% of the total population. This minority largely lives in TransylvaniaTransylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
until 1918 (Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania is a region of Transylvania, situated within the territory of Romania. The population is largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians, and the region has been part of Romania since 1918 . During World War II, as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as...
was part of Hungary again between 1940 and 1947) though there are Hungarian speaking minorities in other parts of the country as well.
Roma People
Balkan Romani
Balkan Romani is group of dialects of the Romani language spoken in various Balkan countries.-Dialects:The Balkan dialects are split into two main groups, a northern group and a southern group :...
, Vlax Romani, and Carpathian Romani. The Romani language is used in local signage, administration, education and justice in 79 communes
Communes of Romania
A commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
and one town (Budeşti
Budesti
Budeşti is a small provincial town in Călăraşi County, approximately 30 km south-east of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Aprozi, Buciumeni and Gruiu. Budeşti was the birthplace of famous Romanian violin player Ion Voicu. It has a population of...
).
Ukrainian
There are 57,593 Ukrainian speakers in Romania, mostly concentrated in Maramureş CountyMaramures County
Maramureș is a county of Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare.- History :* The 10th century frontier county of Borsova was founded by Stephen I of Hungary. Since then Máramaros served as the north-eastern border of the Hungarian Kingdom until 1920, the Trianon Peace...
, where they make up 6.67% of the population, but also in Suceava
Suceava County
Suceava is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Moldavia and few villages in Transylvania, with the capital city at Suceava.- Demographics :...
and Timiş
Timis County
Timiș , , Banat Bulgarian: ) is a county of western Romania, in the historical region Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the largest county in Romania in terms of land area....
counties. Ukrainians make up the majority in four communes: Bistra, Maramureş
Bistra, Maramures
Bistra is a commune in Maramureş County, Romania. The Ukrainian border is located to the north of the commune.-Valea Vişeului:Valea Vişeului is a village in Bistra commune....
, Rona de Sus, Maramureş, Ştiuca, Timiş and Copăcele, Caraş-Severin.
German
Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania
The Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania is a centrist political party representing the German minority in Romania. It was founded at the end of 1989. Despite originally being a German minority party, the party is popular also with many ethnic Romanians, notably in parts of Transylvania...
, which functions in the German language.
Russian
Lipovans
Lipovans or Lippovans are the Old Believers, mostly of Russian ethnic origin, who settled in the Moldavian Principality, in Dobruja and Eastern Muntenia...
, ethnically Russian emigrants from the Russian Empire who left because of religious differences with the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, in Romania. They mostly speak the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and most live in Tulcea County
Tulcea County
Tulcea is a county of Romania, in the historical region Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea.-Demographics:In 2002, Tulcea County had a population of 256,492...
.
Turkish
TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
speakers make up 0.1% of the population, with a community of some 28,714 speakers. The Turkish speaking community is largely a legacy of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule of a large part of Romania. They live in the southern parts of Romania (Dobrudja).
Tatar
TatarsTatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
also make up roughly 0.1% of the Romanian population, with a community of 21,482 speakers. Most, Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
, speak the Crimean Tatar language
Crimean Tatar language
The Crimean Tatar language is the language of the Crimean Tatars. It is a Turkic language spoken in Crimea, Central Asia , and the Crimean Tatar diasporas in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria...
, and the greater part of the community lives in Constanţa County
Constanta County
Constanța is the name of a county in the Dobruja region of Romania. Its capital city is also named Constanța.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 715,151 and the population density was 101/km². The degree of urbanization is much higher than the Romanian average. In recent years the...
.
Other languages
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
(20,377), Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
(16,108), Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
(6,747), Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
(6,355), Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
(4,146).
Event we don't know exactly the percents, the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
are very popular and speaked by Romanians. This is because there are around 2 millions of Romanians working in Italia and around 1 million of Romanians working in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.