Aromanians

Aromanians
Aromanians, Macedo-Romanians, Vlachs
Armâñji
Total population
100.000[1] - 1.000.000
Regions with significant populations
 Greece 39,855 (1951 census) - estimated up to 200.000 [2]
 Albania 4,249 (1955 census) –
estimated up to 200,000
[3][4]
 Romania 26,500 (2006 est.) [5]
 Serbia 15,000 (est.) [6]
 Bulgaria 1,000 persons counted as "rumuni" (2001 census) - estimated up to 10.000 [7]
Republic of Macedonia Macedonia 9,695 (2001 census) - estimated up to 120,000 [8]
Languages

Aromanian and other languages in the areas in which they live

Religion

† Orthodox Christianity

Aromanians (Armâñji, Rrâmãni, Vlaçi, Makedonji) are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania (Dobrudja). An older term is Macedo-Romanians. Especially in Greece, the term Vlachs (Vlaçi) is widespread; this term is sometimes used outside Greece to encompass all Latin-descended peoples of the Balkans, including the modern day Daco-Romanians.

They speak Aromanian, a language similar to Romanian (not a dialect of it), which has many slightly varying dialects of its own.[9] Due to the common language foundations, dating from the times of Latin language, historians believe that the language link with Proto-Romanian was interrupted between the 7th and 9th centuries. The Proto-Romanian (Balkanic Latin) Language was divided by the South Slavs into four different "Vlach" dialects: Daco-Romanian (the official language spoken in Romania and Republic of Moldavia), Macedo-Roumanian (Aromanian), Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian.

Contents

Names and Classification