Aromanian
PrintA language of Greece
50,000 in Greece (Salminen 1993). Population total all countries: 123,300. Ethnic population: 700,000 in Greece (Association of French Aromanians).
North, Northwest Salonika, Pindus mountains, Trikala area. Also in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia.
6b (Threatened).
Structurally a distinct language from Megleno Romanian [ruq] (Agard 1984). It split from the other 3 Romanian languages between 500 and 1000 A.D. Many dialects.
Rapid assimilation to Greek culture; children attend Greek schools. 20% live traditionally. No legal status in Greece. Not taught in school except for one course at the University of Salonica. Some revival of the culture in progress since the 1980s. Rapid language shift in Greece. People over 50 are fluent, many between 25 to 50 are passive speakers with limited knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Known by some youth. Many shifting to Greek [ell].

Ethnonym: Armini. Christian.