Roumania...

John Cowan wrote:

> [...]
> This seems like a good place to ask: is there any accounting for
> the form "Roumania/Rumania" in English, from the French "Roumanie"?
> In other words, why the [u] in the first syllable?
>
> The Romanian spelling has been "Romania", with a-circumflex (meaning
> a high central vowel normally written i-circumflex) since the
> adoption of the Latin alphabet in the 19th century.
> [...]
I've got something about the adjective _roma>na(_. Earlier it sounded=20
_rumi>na(_ and even earlier _rumi>neasca(_. The form with _o_ is=20
constructed, because in Romanian _o_ before an accent >>> _u_. The _o_=20
has been used in order to pay attention to the etymological relationship=20
with Latin _ro:ma:na_ (similarly, in case of _a>_). See, in comparison=20
with Latin and Polish:

'Romanian'
Old Rum.                        rumi>n (noun) - rumi>nesc (adj.)
Mod. Rum.               roma>n (noun + adj.)
(Mod.) Latin    ?rumenus, ?dacoromanus (both, noun + adj.)
Polish                  Rumun (noun) - rumun'ski (adj.)

'Roman'
Mod. Rom.               roman (noun + adj.)
Latin                           romanus (noun + adj.)
Polish                  Rzymianin (noun) - rzymski (adj.)

but 'German'
Old & Mod.Rom. neamt, (noun) - nemt,esc (adj.)
Latin                           germanus (noun + adj.)
Polish                  Niemiec (noun) - niemiecki (adj.)

> =3D circumflex
( =3D breve
, =3D comma (not cedilla!); _t,_ =3D [ts]
' =3D acut

--
P. M. ARKTAYG
"- Jakie zbrodnie pope=B3ni=B3?
 - Mordowa=B3, zdradza=B3, umy=9Clnie niszczy=B3 statki, torturowa=B3, sz=
anta=BFowa=B3,=20
rabowa=B3, sprzedawa=B3 dzieci w niewol=EA, on...
 - Nie obchodz=B1 mnie wasze spory religijne"