The Crișana dialect (subdialectul / graiul crișean) is one of the dialects of the Romanian language (Daco-Romanian). Its geographic distribution covers approximately the historical region of Crișana, in western Transylvania. Classification The Crișana dialect is part of the group of relatively fragmented Transylvanian varieties, along with the Maramureș dialect. As such, the Crișana dialect is a member of the northern group of Romanian dialects, which also includes Moldavian and Banat, and shares with them a large number of characteristics, as opposed to the Wallachian dialect. As with all other dialects of Romanian, the one of Crișana is distinguished primarily by its phonetic features and to a lesser degree by its morphological, syntactic, and lexical features. However, in the context of the more fragmented Transylvanian speech varieties, these characteristics are less distinct than those of other dialectal areas. As a consequence, in some classifications the Crișana dialect is not individualized, such as those of Gustav Weigand, Alexandru Philippide, Iorgu Iordan and Emanuel Vasiliu. Other analyses, however, include the Crișana dialect in their classifications of four or five dialects (the fifth would be the even less distinct Maramureș dialect); this view is supported particularly by more recent studies, such as those of Romulus Todoran, Emil Petrovici, and Ion Coteanu. This divergence is a matter of definition. Geographic distribution The Crișana dialect has its name from the historical region of Crișana, although the dialectal area and the historical region only partially overlap. More precisely, the dialect is spoken in the following Romanian counties: Bihor, Sălaj, Satu Mare, Alba (north-western part), Cluj (western half), Arad (northern half, delimited by the Mureș river), Hunedoara (northern part), Maramureș (south-western part). Subdivisions Several varieties can be further distinguished within the Crișana dialect, specifically those of Bihor, Țara Moților, the area of the Someș River, and Țara Oașului. Particularities Phonetic features Unstressed vowels often close to , respectively: for standard pahar, pune, acoperit. Conversely, vowel sometimes opens to : for standard pădure, căpătat. The diphthong is systematically monophthongized to : for standard poate, coajă. After labials, becomes and the diphthong is monophthongized to : for standard merg, meargă. After the consonants , front vowels become central, and the diphthong monophthongizes to : for standard singur, seară, zeamă, țin. In certain areas, the same happens with consonants ; in other areas, they palatalize and make the subsequent central vowels front: for standard coajă, ușă. The vowel in word-initial positions