> This is not true at all. The n-Rothacization in N-W part (mainly
>Transylvania) of Daco-Romanian Dialect were rectracted, so the words
>repassed to n, after sec XVI.
Even if. Moreover, Aromanian has many other characteristics that
makes it, at least phonetically, closer to the Moldavian subdialect
family. Seemingly, only the rhotacism of the [n] is so outstanding,
because only the Transylvania subdialect family (plus adjacent zones
in Oltenia and Muntenia) have preserved so many n-rhotacisms.
If the n-rhotacism were to play such a big role in making speculations
re. migrations, then the conclusion would be that Transylvanians and
Banat people were once next-door neighbors of Northern Albanians, and
the rest of the Romanians weren't. In contrast, one can find many
more common characteristics of non-TransylvanianBanat Romanian and
Aromanian, that would tempt one speculate 'it is these groups'
ancestors who lived as Albanians' next-d. neighbors somewhere in
the deep South. :-)
>But the Old Romanian texts are full of such attested forms
>(see 'Manuscrisul de la Ieud', 'Codex Sturdzanus' etc...
> 'bire' > bine
> 'mirure' > minune
In addition, if we are in command of some of the NW-SW subdialects,
then we know of some stark cases where the [n] is rhotacized even
today -- more and more timidly, within "inner" circles of
subdialect native-speakers; I underline: in Romania, the mentality
has prevailed that sub/dialect is... bad, and the standard langu.
is good. Hence, I'd even bet that most of today's Romanians will
say there is no such thing like <irimã/iremã>, <curunã> & al.,
despite of the fact that today radio-TV broadcast country songs
(as well as on LPs or CDs) still contain some piece where the
singer transmit what s/he learnt in one or other specific sub-
dialectal area, namely some words with the n-rhotacism preserved.
(Some of these "die-hard" things I heard myself with my own
ears, either in talk with people in Western Transylvania or
via the media I mentioned above. I expect that all these features
are registered by some linguistics institute, within the frame
of a continuous improvement of the "atlasul lingvistic".)
George