SYSTEME VOCALIQUE ET SEMIOLOGIE FINALE DU NOMBRE EN ROUMAIN

An examination of vowel contrasts in the final expression of substantival number indicates that the vowels carring function are arranged in a hierarchical sequence, revealing the type of plurality (internal or external), gender (major, minor) and its interferences with the number. The identification of this hierarchy allows us to understand better certain diachronic changes (such as -ure >- uri), for which unsatisfactory phonetic explanations have been proposed.