THE LETTER OF NEACȘU OF CÂMPULUNG (1521) FIVE CENTURIES SINCE ITS WRITING
THE LETTER OF NEACȘU OF CÂMPULUNG (1521) FIVE CENTURIES SINCE ITS WRITING

Summary/Abstract: Neacșu's letter from Câmpulung is considered to be the oldest inscription in Romanian language that has survived the times, but it is hard to believe that there were no other documents written in our language, before 1521, if we take into account the correctness and accuracy of the language used. The letter was written to warn the counties of Brasov, Johannes Benkner, about the warlike intentions of the Ottomans, who, on the other side of the Danube, were preparing to invade the Romanian countries. It should be noted in this first preserved Romanian letter the clarity of the sentence, the coherent construction, the ease of the composition, a fact that proves the author's preparation and the fact that he was not on the first attempt of this kind. It is observed that, in the old era of Romanian culture, the principles that guide the composition of letters and their writing in the language of the people are adapted to the new social and cultural context of the time. 500 years after its writing, we notice that the Romanian language, at the time of its appearance in writing, was fully constituted. Perfectly intelligible, to the point that even without a glossary we could deduce the meanings of the two Slavonic words, the text nevertheless presents some language-specific features from the beginning of the 16th century. Keywords: Neacșu of Câmpulung, Brașov, Romanian language, epistol

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