The language of Romania is Romanian – a rich Latin language, sharing its Latin basis with Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Romania is often compared to an oasis of Latinity in the South-East of Europe, surrounded by Slavic and Finno-Ugric elements.
Actually, the Romanians are the only ones who, through their very name - Roman - coming from the Latin word "Roman" - have preserved to this day the hallmark of their heritage.
Modern languages like English, French and Italian are widely spoken in trendy Romania and there is a similarity in the language to Italian, which may explain the substantial commercial investment in Romania by Italian companies.
However, there are some slight Slavic traces in the vocabulary and phonetics of the Romanian language, relating to the Slavic migration in the Middle Ages.
In the 14th-16th centuries, the Romanians adopted, because of their Orthodox Christian rite, the Old Slavonic as a language of the Church and of the Chancery. However, Old Slavonic was never a living language spoken in the day-to-day life, but only played for Romanians the same official role that Latin played for the West of Europe.
Later on, in the 1800s, the emancipation movement embraced by the Romanians brought Romanian about as official language of the Chancery and, being fashionable at the time, French was widely spoken at the Court as well.