Language Information

Moldavian, now more correctly referred to as Moldovan, is spoken in the new nation of Moldova, wedged between Rumania and Ukraine. It is spoken by about 3 million people, or two-thirds of the country's population.

Moldavian is actually nothing more than a dialect of Rumanian, and is one of the Romance languages. However, when the area, long known as Bessarabia, was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940 it was given the name Moldavia and the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced. After the country gained independence in 1992, the government announced that it would revert to the Latin alphabet.

Family: Indo-European
Subgroup: Romance

Writing Sample

Translation

It all began at break of day_ Or perhaps a century ago_ The winged thought turned to hope and dream. The consuming desire for a bright place to live, for the freeing of women from burdensome household chores, for eliminating the spiritual and social gulf between village and town—demanded fulfillment. The waiting had dissipated the last ounce of patience.

EMILIAN BUKOV, The Last Paling