Sorin Paliga. <i>An Etymological Dictionary of the Romanian Language</i>

An Etymological Dictionary of the Romanian Language, authored by Sorin Paliga, offers an in-depth and comprehensive examination of Romanian etymology, providing valuable insights into the language’s rich history. A key aspect of the book is the significance of the substratum, which has often been overlooked or undervalued in previous studies. Drawing upon his extensive prior research as a linguist specializing in Slavic languages and the Balkan region, Paliga challenges prevailing assumptions and presents novel perspectives within the realm of Romanian linguistics.The book is structured into three parts: Part I comprises an extensive introductory section covering theoretical topics in history and linguistics, which serves an essential role in contextualizing the etymological discussions that follow; Part II is the etymological dictionary in alphabetical order; Part III includes the addenda, comprising a glossary and lists of pre-historical, pre-Indo-European, Nostratic, and Indo-European roots.Part I provides a broad but necessary overview of the historical, social, and linguistic factors that have shaped the Romanian language, establishing the foundation for the detailed etymological analysis that follows in the dictionary. Chapter I discusses the history of the Romanian language, emphasizing the overlooked role of the Thracian substratum and exploring interactions between Thracians, Romanians, Albanians, and Slavs. Paliga suggests that before the Slavs migrated south of the Danube, they had interactions with the non-Romanized (free) Dacians, which significantly influenced their language. He also discusses the ethnogenesis of the Albanians, suggesting that the free Dacians, displaced south of the Danube by Slavic migrations, played a role in the Albanian ethnogenesis.In Chapter II, the author examines the layers of the Romanian lexicon, including the Latin heritage, substratum elements, and Slavic influence. Statistical data are used to analyze the influence of various linguistic groups, mainly focusing on the complexity of “unknown etymology” entries from previous dictionaries. The chapter also analyzes the common Romanian-Albanian heritage and examines the influences from Hungarian and Turkish. Paliga discusses the re-Latinization of Romanian language in the nineteenth century, where many Latin words were reintroduced to align the language more closely with its Romance roots.Chapter III offers insights into the etymology of place names and personal names, which provide clues about historical settlements and migrations.In Chapter IV, Paliga provides a comprehensive analysis of the historical development of Romanian grammar, investigating the nominal and verbal systems, the use of numerals, non-inflected forms, and derivational means. Peculiar elements, such as the definite article in Romanian and Albanian, are discussed.The concluding section of Part I examines the phonetics and phonology of the Romanian language, with a specific focus on its distinct vowels and consonantal system. It also explores the interplay between Proto-Romanian, Thracian, and Slavic phonetic systems, highlighting the intricate connections between these languages in shaping the phonological development of Romanian.The core of the work is presented in Part II, the dictionary, which encompasses over 5,000 entries. Each entry provides detailed etymological explanations, encompassing rare and dialectal forms of words. Paliga’s approach to Romanian etymology is both systematic and innovative, particularly in his treatment of the challenging issue of the substratum. He proposes that more than 1,000 words (roots and derivatives) of Thracian origin may be in Romanian, a far greater number than previously thought. While some of the proposed solutions require more thorough argumentation, some words, particularly those of unknown or unclear origin, remain unresolved; this is a natural limitation in any etymological dictionary.Finally, Part III includes a glossary of linguistic and historical terms, two root glossaries (Pre-Indo-European and Proto-Boreal), a compact Pre-Greek glossary, and a list of relevant Indo-European roots, all expanding on the dictionary’s content.Some of the historical scenarios proposed by Paliga remain incompletely explained. One notable issue is the linguistic convergence between the Romanized and non-Romanized areas once inhabited by Dacians. According to him, while the Roman province of Dacia underwent intense linguistic Romanization, the free Dacians outside the province retained their native language, which was not subject to the same influences and later influenced the Proto-Slavic. This leaves unexplained how the two distinct linguistic regions ultimately converged into a single language, the Romanian.A second incompletely explained issue concerns the influence of the Thracian language on Proto-Slavic. Paliga asserts that the free Dacians exerted linguistic influence on the Slavs. Yet he also mentions that the migrating Slavs pushed these same Dacians toward the south of the Danube, where they contributed to the formation of the Albanian group. The timing of this Dacian influence on the Slavs is unclear, as it seems that the contact between the two groups would have been brief.In conclusion, despite some historical controversies, the dictionary is a valuable reference tool. This extensive work delivers comprehensive coverage and in-depth analysis of Romanian vocabulary and etymology, accompanied by detailed historical, grammar, and contextual backgrounds. It reveals new possibilities for interpretation, especially regarding the substratum elements, and challenges outdated historical scenarios. Paliga is among the few linguists who have shown courage in exploring the less known and disputed aspects of the history of the Romanian language. Although there is a high potential for error in these areas, the author has willingly embraced the challenge.