Editing Romanian language (section)

=== Phonetic changes ===
{{Main|Latin-to-Romanian sound changes}}

Owing to its isolation from the other Romance languages, the phonetic evolution of Romanian was quite different, but the language does share a few changes with Italian, such as {{IPA|[kl]}} → {{IPA|[kj]}} (Lat. '''cl'''arus → Rom. '''chià'''r, Ital. '''chi'''aro, Lat. clamare → Rom. '''che'''mare, Ital. '''chia'''mare) and {{IPA|[ɡl]}} → {{IPA|[ɡj]}} (Lat. *'''gl'''acia ('''gl'''acies) → Rom. '''ghé'''ață, Ital. '''ghi'''accia, '''ghi'''accio, Lat. *un'''gl'''a (ungula) → Rom. un'''ghi'''e, Ital. un'''ghi'''a), although this did not go as far as it did in Italian with other similar clusters (Rom. '''plà'''ce, Ital. '''pi'''ace).

Another similarity with Italian is the change from {{IPA|[ke]}} or {{IPA|[ki]}} to {{IPA|[tʃe]}} or {{IPA|[tʃi]}} (Lat. pax, pa'''ce'''m → Rom. and Ital. pa'''ce''', Lat. dul'''ce'''m → Rom. dul'''ce''', Ital. dol'''ce''', Lat. '''ci'''rcus → Rom. '''ce'''rc, Ital. '''ci'''rco) and {{IPA|[ɡe]}} or {{IPA|[ɡi]}} to {{IPA|[dʒe]}} or {{IPA|[dʒi]}} (Lat. '''ge'''lu → Rom. '''gè'''r, Ital. '''ge'''lo, Lat. mar'''gi'''nem → Rom. and Ital. mar'''gi'''ne, Lat. '''ge'''mere → Rom. '''gè'''m ('''ge'''mere), Ital. '''ge'''mere).

There are also a few changes shared with [[Dalmatian language|Dalmatian]], such as {{IPA|/ɡn/}} (probably phonetically {{IPA|[ŋn]}}) → {{IPA|[mn]}} (Lat. co'''gn'''atus → Rom. cu'''mn'''at, Dalm. co'''mn'''ut) and {{IPA|/ks/}} → {{IPA|[ps]}} in some situations (Lat. coxa → Rom. có'''ps'''ă, Dalm. co'''ps'''a).

Among the notable phonetic changes are:
* diphthongization of e and o → ea and oa, before ă (or e as well, in the case of o) in the next syllable:
:* Lat. c'''e'''ra → Rom. c'''é'''ră (wax)
:* Lat. s'''o'''le → Rom. s'''ó'''re (sun)
* [[iotation]] {{IPA|[e]}} → {{IPA|[ie]}} in the beginning of the word
:* Lat. h'''e'''rba → Rom. ĭ'''a'''rbă (grass, herb)
* velar {{IPA|[k ɡ]}} → labial {{IPA|[p b m]}} before alveolar consonants and {{IPA|[w]}} (e.g. '''ngu''' → '''mb'''):
:* Lat. o'''ct'''o → Rom. o'''pt''' (eight)
:* Lat. li'''ng'''ua → Rom. lì'''mb'''ă (tongue, language)
:* Lat. si'''gn'''um → Rom. sè'''mn''' (sign)
:* Lat. co'''x'''a → Rom. có'''ps'''ă (thigh)
* [[Rhotacism (sound change)|rhotacism]] {{IPA|[l]}} → {{IPA|[r]}} between vowels
:* Lat. cae'''l'''um → Rom. cè'''r''' (sky)
* Alveolars {{IPA|[d t]}} assibilated to {{IPA|[(d)z] [(t)s]}} when before short {{IPA|[e]}} or long {{IPA|[iː]}}
:* Lat. '''d'''eus → Rom. '''ḑ'''èŭ → '''z'''èŭ (god)
:* Lat. '''t'''enem → Rom. '''ț'''ine (hold)

Romanian has entirely lost Latin {{IPA|/kw/}} ('''qu'''), turning it either into {{IPA|/p/}} (Lat. '''qu'''attuor → Rom. ''pàtru'', "four"; cf. It. ''quattro'') or {{IPA|/k/}}  (Lat. '''qu'''ando → Rom. ''când'', "when"; Lat. '''qu'''ale → Rom. ''càre'', "which").