TERM VLACH and background of that term & name

[Robocop]

I would like to say some facts that most people are not aware or most of them didn't pay attention on that when it comes about term "VLACH"...

Have you ever asked yourself why for example region in Romania, called Wallachia is called wallachia? or why WALES is called WALES in Britain? Or why name VALONS for people in Belgium? and many other similar names for places in Europe, well there is a connection between that names, but not with that people, and it is connected to Romans, or it's better to say: roman citizens of roman empire.

Well you see, barbarian people (germanics and slavs) after fall of western roman empire, when migrating to once roman provinces, they found there a autochthonous roman society, not ROMANS as romans from region LAZIO, but ex-roman citizens, means ROMANS by culture and civilization, means much advanced than slavs and german conquerors were...

When they encountered them, before they mixed with them, they made a names for them, and names were what we say in Serbia and Croatia: VLAH, or as in Romania WALLACHIA, or as in Britain WALES, or as in BELGIUM Valons... THAT TERM VLAH, was term for autochthonous advanced ROMAN society after fall of western roman empire. Have in mind that still today Polish people call Italy as: "Wlochy".

For example, here in croatian region DALMATIA, once roman province Dalmatia, when croats/slavs came here, they settled in area around big cities at dalmatian coasts... in that cities lived roman people (Roman Citizens), even after fall of the empire, slavs named them VLACHS, soon after that, around late 7th and 8th century slavs/croats started to MIXED with that romans/vlahs.

I hope you undarstand what I'm talking about... similar happenings happened in rest of Europe, on areas of ex-roman empire...such was Wales, Valonians, Wallachians etc... With exception of Wallachia because Wallachians kept their Roman language even today.

In Dalmatia, latin Dalmatian language died 1898, and that was not long time ago... 1898 died the last speaker of latin dalmatian language on Island Krk in Croatia, but even so; Dalmatian dialect kept tons of latin words in today's Dalmatian dialect..., Today in Dalmatia we have reverse situation than in 8 century, today citizens from coastal cities in Dalmatia call WLACHS/VLAHS people in continental dalmatia...

In today Serbia, you have people who even today for their nationality place name: WLACHS/VLAHS, but difference between for example serbian wlachs (who declared themselfs in nationality as WLACHS), and dalmatian Wlachs, or Welsh, or valons, is that dalmatian wlachs are CROATS today, and welsh wlachs are WELSH today, or valon wlachs are VALONS today... they've lost their sence for nationality as wlachs (roman autohtone society) long long time ago... and there is no genetical connection between croat wlachs and serbian wlachs, or croat wlachs with welsh wlachs or valons etc...

To conclude this: "VLACHS" are not some ethnic tribe, or descendants of one ethnic tribe, they are not connected with each others troughout Europe not by genetic, not by anthropological phenotypes, the only thing they have in common, is that they were once citizens (their ancestors) of fallen Roman Empire, and that Germanics and Slavs gave them that name when came to that areas of fallen Roman empire...

I hope all this is not confusing to you here... Greets

[Bezprym]

Have in mind that still today Polish people call Italy as: "Wlochy".

Yeah, some Poles are confused why it's called "Włochy" instead of, for instance, "Italia".

On the other hand, we have also terms Wołoch (masculine), Wołoszka (feminine), Wołosi (plural) and Wołoszki (plural feminine) for Vlach/Vlachs. Wallachia is "Wołoszczyzna", and "wołoski" is an adjective. So we have it extremely similar to Italy.

[Coolguy1]

I agree that different "Vlach" groups can be completely unrelated to eachother. Aromanians and Romanians for example descend from different Balkan groups. Even Aromanians in Greece and in other countries are very different from eachother.

[catgeorge]

Agreed - before the fall of the Western Roman Empire - the Imperial provinces is where many Romans and Roman soldiers served and settled.

The archaic Roman dialect they speak albeit similar has some differences pending on region they settled. Having said that - they are autochtonous to the regions within the Imperial provinces because they did indeed mix with locals as they have been settled in these provinces for many centuries. Population movement from one province to the next under Roman Empire was notorious

Vlachs not so much exist in Senatorial Provinces but definitely in Imperial provinces.

[Mingle]

Welsh/Walloon/Wallach/Vlach and the 'wall' in Cornwall just means "foreigner" in Germanic languages. Any language that uses one of those terms gets it from Germanic. The term comes from Proto-Germanic *walhiska (which then became Walhaz) and so on. The Germanic term comes from a Celtic tribe who called 'Volcae' in Latin.

The term Wallach/Vlach came via Gothic (East Germanic) to Slavic as *walhs which is why those names are used in Eastern Europe to refer to Romance-speakers. In Western Europe (Germanic regions), the term Wallach/Vlach is not used but they have their own terms derived from their own languages to refer to their non-Germanic (Romance-Celtic) neighbors.

[Mens-Sarda]

also Germans have a similar term "Welsch" (plural Welschen) to define the Romance speakers, instead about Cornwall if I remember correctly the name comes from Latin "Cornu Galliae" (Horn of Gaul)



I wonder if all these terms Welsch, Welsh, Valloon, Vlach are in some way related to the Latin term "Vallum" (wall, barrier, border), if we try to follow the reasoning of the ancient Germans, the terms Welsch, Welsh, Valloon, Vlach could mean something like "that who lives beyond the Vallum" , during the centuries the original meaning has been lost and the term generically indicates the Romance speakers

[Robocop]

I wonder if all these terms Welsch, Welsh, Valloon, Vlach are in some way related to the Latin term "Vallum" (wall, barrier, border), if we try to follow the reasoning of the ancient Germans, the terms Welsch, Welsh, Valloon, Vlach could mean something like "that who lives beyond the Vallum"

That cannot be ruled out, indeed.

Welsh/Walloon/Wallach/Vlach and the 'wall' in Cornwall just means "foreigner" in Germanic languages. Any language that uses one of those terms gets it from Germanic. The term comes from Proto-Germanic *walhiska (which then became Walhaz) and so on. The Germanic term comes from a Celtic tribe who called 'Volcae' in Latin.

The term Wallach/Vlach came via Gothic (East Germanic) to Slavic as *walhs which is why those names are used in Eastern Europe to refer to Romance-speakers. In Western Europe (Germanic regions), the term Wallach/Vlach is not used but they have their own terms derived from their own languages to refer to their non-Germanic (Romance-Celtic) neighbors.

Ofcourse, but I wanted to explain all this in most understandable way in my opening post.

Cheers

[DRUM]

Italians are also called Lahi in Slovenia

[Colonel Frank Grimes]

I don't understand the prejudice Balkanoids have for Vlachs. They appear through out their history to go about their business without trying to bother anyone.

[Robocop]

I don't understand the prejudice Balkanoids have for Vlachs. They appear through out their history to go about their business without trying to bother anyone.

True, but I tried to explain in OP from where those prejudices comes and how illogical they are having in mind the origin of term "Vlach" itself.