The vowel system and word-final number semiology in Romanian

An examination of vowel contrasts in the final expression of substantival number indicates that the vowels having a grammatical function are arranged in a hierarchical sequence, revealing the type of plurality (internal or external), gender (major, minor) & 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. Adapted from the source document