In Central and Eastern Europe, the word for Romance peoples was borrowed from the Goths (as *walhs) into Proto-Slavic some time before the 7th century.[Swiss speakers of Italian and French.
In Central and Eastern Europe, the word for Romance peoples was borrowed from the Goths (as *walhs) into Proto-Slavic some time before the 7th century.[citation needed] The first source using the word was the writings of Byzantine historian George Kedrenos in the mid-11th century.
From the Slavs the term passed to other peoples, such as the Hungarians (oláh, referring to Vlachs, more specifically Romanians, olasz, referring to Italians), Turks ("Ulahlar") and Byzantines ("Βλάχοι", "Vláhi") and was used for all Latin people of the Balkans.[3]
Over time, the term Vlach (and its different forms) also acquired different meanings. Ottoman Turks in the Balkans commonly used the term to denote native Balkan Christians (possibly due to the cultural link between Christianity and Roman culture),[citation needed] and in parts of the Balkans the term came to denote "shepherd" â€
From the Slavs the term passed to other peoples, such as the Hungarians (oláh, referring to Vlachs, more specifically Romanians, olasz, referring to Italians), Turks ("Ulahlar") and Byzantines ("Βλάχοι", "Vláhi") and was used for all Latin people of the Balkans.[3]
Over time, the term Vlach (and its different forms) also acquired different meanings. Ottoman Turks in the Balkans commonly used the term to denote native Balkan Christians (possibly due to the cultural link between Christianity and Roman culture),[citation needed] and in parts of the Balkans the term came to denote "shepherd" – from the occupation of many of the Vlachs throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
The Polish words WÅ‚och (pl. WÅ‚osi), "Italian", and WÅ‚ochy, "Italy", and the Slovenian lah, a mildly derogatory word for "Italian", can also be mentioned.
In the Frankish Table of Nations (c. 520, emended c. 700), there are a people called the Walagothi or Ualagothi. The term combines the prefix wala- (foreign) and the name of the Goths. The implication is that these were Romance-speaking Goths, probably the Visigoths in Spain.[4]
Numerous names of non-Germanic, and in particular Romance-speaking, European and near-Asian regions derive from the word Walh, in particular the exonyms
<Numerous names of non-Germanic, and in particular Romance-speaking, European and near-Asian regions derive from the word Walh, in particular the exonyms
Consider the following terms historically present in several Central and Eastern European, and other neighbouring languages:
The Yiddish term "Velsh" or "Veilish" is used for Sephardi Jews and the Rashi script.
The element also shows up in family names:
The Yiddish term "Velsh" or "Veilish" is used for Sephardi Jews and the Rashi script.