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Albania Languages: Difference between revisions
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==Description== | |||
The official language of the country is '''Albanian''' which is spoken by the vast majority of the country's population. Its standard spoken and written form is revised and merged from the two main dialects, '''Gheg''' and '''Tosk''', though it is notably based more on the Tosk dialect. The differences are primarily phonological. Also a dialect of '''Greek''' that preserves features now lost in standard modern Greek is spoken in areas inhabited by the Greek minority. Other languages spoken by ethnic minorities in Albania include Aromanian, Serbian, Macedonian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Gorani, and Roma. Young people have shown a growing interest in '''German and Turkish''' languages. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Albania," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania#Language#:~:text=Language, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
'''Albania (Gheg dialect)''' -- Gheg is spoken to the north of the Shkumbin river. Gheg does not have any official status as a written language in any country. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Gheg Albanian," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheg_Albanian, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
'''Albania (Tosk dialect)''' -- Tosk is spoken to the south of the Shkumbin river. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Tosk Albanian," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosk_Albanian, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
'''Greek''' -- second most-spoken language in the country, with 0.5 to 3% of the population speaking it as first language and with two-thirds of mainly Albanian families having at least one member that speaks Greek. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Albania," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania#Language#:~:text=Greek%20is%20the%20second%20most-spoken%20language%20in%20the%20country, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
'''German and Turkish''' -- Young people have shown a growing interest in German language in recent years. Interest in learning Turkish, in particular among young people, has been growing on a yearly basis. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Albania," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania#Language#:~:text=Young%20people%20have%20shown%20a%20growing%20interest%20in%20German%20language, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
The Albanian language has been written using many alphabets since the earliest records from the 15th century. The earliest written Albanian records come from the Gheg area in makeshift spellings based on Italian or Greek. The Tosk dialect was written in the Greek alphabet and the Gheg dialect was written in the Latin script. Both dialects had also been written in the Ottoman Turkish version of the Arabic script. The writers from northern Albania and under the influence of the Catholic Church used Latin letters, those in southern Albania and under the influence of the Greek Orthodox church used Greek letters, while others throughout Albania and under the influence of Islam used Arabic letters. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Albanian language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_language#:~:text=Orthography, accessed 21 Jul 2021.</ref> | |||
==Word List(s)== | |||
*[https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/albanian.php#:~:text=English Albanian Tosk dialect Phrases] - Omniglot | |||
*[http://ilanguages.org/albanian_phrases.php#:~:text=Albanian%20Phrases Albanian Phrases with audio] - iLanguages | |||
*[http://mylanguages.org/albanian_phrases.php#:~:text=Albanian%20Phrases Albanian Phrases] - My Languages | |||
==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | |||
*[https://wikitravel.org/en/Albanian_phrasebook#:~:text=Vowels Albanian Vowels and Consonants] - Wikitravel Albanian Phrasebook | |||
*[https://www.mustgo.com/worldlanguages/albanian/#:~:text=Vowels Albanian Tosk and Gheg Vowels and Consonants] - Must Go Travel | |||
==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | |||
'''Dictionaries''' | |||
'''Online Dictionaries''' | |||
'''Language Aids''' | |||
* lo Duro & Ramazan Hysa, '''''Fjalor shqip-anglisht = Albanian - English dictionary''''', Tirana : Botime EDFA, 1996 - [https://www.worldcat.org/title/fjalor-shqip-anglisht-albanian-english-dictionary/oclc/747106362&referer=brief_results Available at WorldCat] | |||
==Additional Resources== | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_dialects Albanian dialects] - Wikipedia | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_dialects#:~:text=Tosk%20features Features of the Tosk dialect] - Wikipedia | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_dialects#:~:text=Gheg%20features Features of the Greg dialect] - Wikipedia | |||
== References == | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
Albanian is the only language in its own distinctive branch of the Indo-European language family. It is divided into the dialects of Geg and Tosk. Albanian was formerly written in the Arabic Turkish, Greek, and Latin alphabets in the various parts of the country. During the centuries of Ottoman rule, the Albanian language was not commonly used in writing. The records of Albania are mostly in Turkish (in Arabic script), Italian, Greek, and Latin. Many official records are in old Turkish, as would be any Muslim records. Roman-Catholic records would be written in Latin and Albanian; Orthodox records in Greek. The first written alphabet for the Albanian language appeared in the 15th century. During the four centuries of Ottoman rule, written Albanian was forbidden but it was preserved by emigre communities. By the early 20th century more than a dozen alphabets had developed. In 1908 a standard orthography of Latin characters was adopted. It is important to note that Turkish was written in the Arabic alphabet until the 1920s. Albanian is the national language and is spoken by nearly all of the country's inhabitants. Today the Tosk dialect of Albanian is the official language but both dialects, Geg and Tosk, are used in everyday speech. A few other languages are spoken by minority groups, the major one being Greek in the southern part of Albania. | Albanian is the only language in its own distinctive branch of the Indo-European language family. It is divided into the dialects of Geg and Tosk. Albanian was formerly written in the Arabic Turkish, Greek, and Latin alphabets in the various parts of the country. During the centuries of Ottoman rule, the Albanian language was not commonly used in writing. The records of Albania are mostly in Turkish (in Arabic script), Italian, Greek, and Latin. Many official records are in old Turkish, as would be any Muslim records. Roman-Catholic records would be written in Latin and Albanian; Orthodox records in Greek. The first written alphabet for the Albanian language appeared in the 15th century. During the four centuries of Ottoman rule, written Albanian was forbidden but it was preserved by emigre communities. By the early 20th century more than a dozen alphabets had developed. In 1908 a standard orthography of Latin characters was adopted. It is important to note that Turkish was written in the Arabic alphabet until the 1920s. Albanian is the national language and is spoken by nearly all of the country's inhabitants. Today the Tosk dialect of Albanian is the official language but both dialects, Geg and Tosk, are used in everyday speech. A few other languages are spoken by minority groups, the major one being Greek in the southern part of Albania. | ||