Albanian | |
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shqip gjuha shqipe | |
Pronunciation | [ʃcip] |
Native to | Albania, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Albanian diaspora |
5.4 million in the Balkans (2011)[1] | |
Dialects | |
Latin (Albanian alphabet) Albanian Braille | |
Official status | |
Albania Kosovo North Macedonia[a] Montenegro[a][2] | |
Recognised minority language in | |
Regulated by | Officially by the Social Sciences and Albanological Section of the Academy of Sciences of Albania |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | sq |
ISO 639-2 | alb (B) sqi (T) |
ISO 639-3 | sqi – inclusive codeIndividual codes: aae – Arbëreshaat – Arvanitikaaln – Ghegals – Tosk |
Glottolog | alba1267 [3] |
Linguasphere | 55-AAA-aaa to 55-AAA-ahe (25 varieties) |
The dialects of the Albanian language. (The map does not indicate where the language is majority or minority.) | |
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For a guide to IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. |
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Albanian | muaj | ri | nënë | motër | natë | hundë | tre / tri | zi | kuq | verdhë | kaltër | ujk |
Proto-Indo-European | *meh₁ns- | *neu-(i)o- | *méh₂tēr | *swésōr | *nókʷts | *neh₂-s- | *treies | *kʷr̥snós *mel-n- | *h₁reudʰ-ó- ~ h₁roudʰ-ó- | *ǵʰelh₃- | *bʰléh₁-uo- | *wĺ̥kʷos |
English | month | new | mother | sister | night | nose | three | black | red | yellow | blue | wolf |
Latin | mēnsis | novus | māter | soror | noct- | nāsus | trēs | āter, niger | ruber | helvus | flāvus | lupus |
Lithuanian | mė́nuo | naũjas | motė | sesuõ | naktìs | nósis | trỹs | júodas | raűdas | gel̃tas | mė́lynas | vil̃kas |
Old Church Slavonic | мѣсѧць měsęcь | новъ novъ | мати mati | сестра sestra | ношть noštь | носъ nosъ | три, триѥ tri, trije | чрънъ črъnъ | чръвенъ črъvenъ | жлътъ žlъtъ | син҄ь siņь | влькъ vlьkъ |
Ancient Greek | μην- men- | νέος néos | μήτηρ mḗtēr | ἀδελφή adelphḗ | νυκτ- nukt- | ῥιν- rhin- | τρεῖς treîs | μέλας mélas | ἐρυθρός eruthrós | χλωρός khlōrós | ξανθός ksanthós | λύκος lúkos |
Armenian | ամիս amis | նոր nor | մայր mayr | քույր k'uyr | գիշեր gišer | քիթ k'it | երեք yerek' | սեւ sev | կարմիր karmir | դեղին deġin | Կապույտ kapuyt | գայլ gayl |
Irish | mí | nua | máthair | deirfiúr | oíche | srón | trí | dubh | dearg | buí | gorm | faolchú |
Sanskrit | मास māsa | नव nava | मातृ mātr̥ | स्वसृ svasr̥ | नक्त/निश् nakta/niś | नस nasa | त्रि tri | काल/कृष्ण kāla/kr̥ṣṇa | रुधिर rudhira | पीत/हिरण्य pīta/hiraṇya | नील nīla | वृक vr̥ka |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*p | p | *pékʷ- 'to cook' | pjek 'to bake' |
*bʰ / b | b | *srobʰ-éi̯e- 'to sip, gulp' | gjerb 'to sip' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*t | t | *túh₂ 'thou' | ti 'you (singular)' |
*d | d | *dih₂tis 'light' | ditë 'day' |
dh[* 1] | *pérd- 'to fart' | pjerdh 'to fart' | |
g | *dl̥h₁-tó- 'long' | gjatë 'long' (Tosk dial. glatë) | |
*dʰ | d | *dʰégʷʰ- 'burn' | djeg 'to burn' |
dh[* 1] | *gʰórdʰos 'enclosure' | gardh 'fence' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*ḱ | th | *ḱéh₁smi 'I say' | them 'I say' |
s[* 1] | *ḱupo- 'shoulder' | sup 'shoulder' | |
k[* 2] | *smeḱ-r̥ 'chin' | mjekër 'chin; beard' | |
ç/c[* 3] | *ḱentro- 'to stick' | çandër 'prop' | |
*ǵ | dh | *ǵómbʰos 'tooth, peg' | dhëmb 'tooth' |
*ǵʰ | dh | *ǵʰed-ioH 'I defecate' | dhjes 'I defecate' |
d[* 4] | *ǵʰr̥sdʰi 'grain, barley' | drithë 'grain' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*k | k | *kágʰmi 'I catch, grasp' | kam 'I have' |
q | *kluH-i̯o- 'to weep' | qaj 'to weep, cry' (dial. kla(n)j) | |
*g | g | *h₃lígos 'sick' | ligë 'bad' |
gj | *h₁reug- 'to retch' | regj 'to tan hides' | |
*gʰ | g | *gʰórdʰos 'enclosure' | gardh 'fence' |
gj | *gʰédn-i̯e/o- 'to get' | gjej 'to find' (Old Alb. gjãnj) |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*kʷ | k | *kʷeh₂sleh₂ 'cough' | kollë 'cough' |
s | *kʷélH- 'to turn' | sjell 'to fetch, bring' | |
q | *kʷṓd | që 'that, which' | |
*gʷ | g | *gʷr̥H 'stone' | gur 'stone' |
z | *gʷréh₂us 'heavy' | zor 'hard, difficult' | |
*gʷʰ | g | *dʰégʷʰ- 'to burn' | djeg 'to burn' |
z | *dʰogʷʰéi̯e- 'to ignite' | ndez 'to kindle, light a fire' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*s | gj[* 1] | *séḱstis 'six' | gjashtë 'six' |
h[* 2] | *nosōm 'us' (gen.) | nahe 'us' (dat.) | |
sh[* 3] | *bʰreusos 'broken' | breshër 'hail' | |
th[* 4] | *suh₁s 'swine' | thi 'pig' | |
∅ | h₁ésmi 'I am' | jam 'I am' | |
*-sd- | th | *gʷésdos 'leaf' | gjeth 'leaf' |
*-sḱ- | h | *sḱi-eh₂ 'shadow' | hije 'shadow' |
*-sp- | f | *spélnom 'speech' | fjalë 'word' |
*-st- | sht | *h₂osti 'bone' | asht 'bone' |
*-su̯- | d | *su̯eíd-r̥- 'sweat' | dirsë 'sweat' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*i̯ | gj[* 1] | *i̯éh₃s- 'to gird' | (n)gjesh 'I gird; squeeze, knead' |
j[* 2] | *i̯uH 'you' (nom.) | ju 'you (plural)' | |
∅[* 3] | *trei̯es 'three' (masc.) | tre 'three' | |
*u̯ | v | *u̯os-éi̯e- 'to dress' | vesh 'to wear, dress' |
*m | m | *meh₂tr-eh₂ 'maternal' | motër 'sister' |
*n | n | *nōs 'we' (acc.) | ne 'we' |
nj | *eni-h₁ói-no 'that one' | një 'one' (Gheg njâ, njo, nji ) | |
∅ (Tosk) ~ nasal vowel (Gheg) | *pénkʷe 'five' | pesë 'five' (vs. Gheg pês) | |
r (Tosk only) | *ǵʰeimen 'winter' | dimër 'winter' (vs. Gheg dimën) | |
*l | l | *h₃lígos 'sick' | ligë 'bad' |
ll | *kʷélH- 'turn' | sjell 'to fetch, bring' | |
*r | r | *repe/o 'take' | rjep 'peel' |
rr | *u̯rh₁ḗn 'sheep' | rrunjë 'yearling lamb' | |
*n̥ | e | *h₁n̥men 'name' | emër 'name' |
*m̥ | e | *u̯iḱm̥ti 'twenty' | (një)zet 'twenty' |
*l̥ | li, il[* 4] / lu, ul | *u̯ĺ̥kʷos 'wolf' | ujk 'wolf' (Chamian ulk) |
*r̥ | ri, ir[* 4] / ru, ur | *ǵʰr̥sdom 'grain, barley' | drithë 'grain' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*h₁ | ∅ | *h₁ésmi 'I am' | jam 'to be' |
*h₂ | ∅ | *h₂r̥tḱos 'bear' | ari 'bear' |
*h₃ | ∅ | *h₃ónr̥ 'dream' | ëndërr 'dream' |
PIE | Albanian | PIE | Albanian |
---|---|---|---|
*i | i | *sínos 'bosom' | gji 'bosom, breast' |
e | *dwigʰeh₂ 'twig' | degë 'branch' | |
*ī < *iH | i | *dih₂tis 'light' | ditë 'day' |
*e | e | *pénkʷe 'five' | pesë 'five' (Gheg pês) |
je | *wétos 'year' (loc.) | vjet 'last year' | |
*ē | o | *ǵʰēsreh₂ 'hand' | dorë 'hand' |
*a | a | *bʰaḱeh₂ 'bean' | bathë 'bean' |
e | *h₂élbʰit 'barley' | elb 'barley' | |
*o | a | *gʰórdʰos 'enclosure' | gardh 'fence' |
*ō | e | *h₂oḱtōtis 'eight' | tetë 'eight' |
*u | u | *súpnom 'sleep' | gjumë 'sleep' |
*ū < *uH | y | *suHsos 'grandfather' | gjysh 'grandfather' |
i | *muh₂s 'mouse' | mi 'mouse' |
Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
plain | velar. | ||||||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | (ŋ) | |||
Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | |||
voiced | b | d | ɡ | ||||
Affricate | voiceless | t͡s | t͡ʃ | c͡ç | |||
voiced | d͡z | d͡ʒ | ɟ͡ʝ | ||||
Fricative | voiceless | f | θ | s | ʃ | h | |
voiced | v | ð | z | ʒ | |||
Approximant | l | ɫ | j | ||||
Flap | ɾ | ||||||
Trill | r |
IPA | Description | Written as | English approximation |
---|---|---|---|
m | Bilabial nasal | m | man |
n | Alveolar nasal | n | not |
ɲ | Palatal nasal | nj | ~onion |
ŋ | Velar nasal | ng | bang |
p | Voiceless bilabial plosive | p | spin |
b | Voiced bilabial plosive | b | bat |
t | Voiceless alveolar plosive | t | stand |
d | Voiced alveolar plosive | d | debt |
k | Voiceless velar plosive | k | scar |
ɡ | Voiced velar plosive | g | go |
t͡s | Voiceless alveolar affricate | c | hats |
d͡z | Voiced alveolar affricate | x | goods |
t͡ʃ | Voiceless postalveolar affricate | ç | chin |
d͡ʒ | Voiced postalveolar affricate | xh | jet |
c͡ç | Voiceless palatal affricate | q | ~china (RP) |
ɟ͡ʝ | Voiced palatal affricate | gj | ~gem (RP) |
f | Voiceless labiodental fricative | f | far |
v | Voiced labiodental fricative | v | van |
θ | Voiceless dental fricative | th | thin |
ð | Voiced dental fricative | dh | then |
s | Voiceless alveolar fricative | s | son |
z | Voiced alveolar fricative | z | zip |
ʃ | Voiceless postalveolar fricative | sh | show |
ʒ | Voiced postalveolar fricative | zh | vision |
h | Voiceless glottal fricative | h | hat |
r | Alveolar trill | rr | Spanish perro |
ɾ | Alveolar tap | r | Spanish pero |
l | Alveolar lateral approximant | l | lean |
ɫ | Velarized alveolar lateral approximant | ll | ball |
j | Palatal approximant | j | yes |
IPA | Description | Written as | English approximation |
---|---|---|---|
i | Close front unrounded vowel | i | seed |
ɛ | Open-mid front unrounded vowel | e | bed |
a | Open central unrounded vowel | a | father, Spanish casa |
ə | Schwa | ë | about, the |
ɔ | Open-mid back rounded vowel | o | law |
y | Close front rounded vowel | y | French tu, German Lüge |
u | Close back rounded vowel | u | boot |
Indefinite singular | Indefinite plural | Definite singular | Definite plural | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | një mal (a mountain) | male (mountains) | mali (the mountain) | malet (the mountains) |
Accusative | një mal | male | malin | malet |
Genitive | i/e/të/së një mali | i/e/të/së maleve | i/e/të/së malit | i/e/të/së maleve |
Dative | një mali | maleve | malit | maleve |
Ablative | (prej) një mali | (prej) malesh | (prej) malit | (prej) maleve |
Indefinite singular | Indefinite plural | Definite singular | Definite plural | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | një zog (a bird) | zogj (birds) | zogu (the bird) | zogjtë (the birds) |
Accusative | një zog | zogj | zogun | zogjtë |
Genitive | i/e/të/së një zogu | i/e/të/së zogjve | i/e/të/së zogut | i/e/të/së zogjve |
Dative | një zogu | zogjve | zogut | zogjve |
Ablative | (prej) një zogu | (prej) zogjsh | (prej) zogut | (prej) zogjve |
Indefinite singular | Indefinite plural | Definite singular | Definite plural | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | një vajzë (a girl) | vajza (girls) | vajza (the girl) | vajzat (the girls) |
Accusative | një vajzë | vajza | vajzën | vajzat |
Genitive | i/e/të/së një vajze | i/e/të/së vajzave | i/e/të/së vajzës | i/e/të/së vajzave |
Dative | një vajze | vajzave | vajzës | vajzave |
Ablative | (prej) një vajze | (prej) vajzash | (prej) vajzës | (prej) vajzave |
|
Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian and Croatian shall also be in the official use.
The modern Albanian language, it has been conjectured, is descendent directly from ancient Illyrian ...
It is generally accepted that Albanians continue one of the ancient languages of the Balkans, although scholars disagree on which language they spoke and what area of the Balkans they occupied before the Slavs’ migration to the Balkans.
So while linguists may debate about the ties between Albanian and older languages of the Balkans, and while most Albanians may take the genealogical connection to Illyrian as incontrovertible, the fact remains that there is simply insufficient evidence to connect Illyrian, Thracian, or Dacian with any language, including Albanian
The most probable predecessor of Albanian was Illyrian, since much of the present-day Albania was inhabited by the Illyrians during the Antiquity, but the comparison of the two languages is impossible because almost nothing is known about Illyrian ... It is a-priori less probable to assume that a single language was spoken in the whole Illyricum, from the river Arsia in Istria, to Epirus in Greece, when such a linguistic uniformity is found nowhere else in Europe before the Roman conquest. Moreover, the examination of personal names and toponyms from Illyricum shows that several onomastic areas can be distinguished, and these onomastic areas just might correspond to different languages spoken in ancient Illyricum. If Illyrians actually spoke several different languages, the question arises – From which ‘Illyrian’ language did Albanian develop? – and that question cannot be answered until new data are discovered.
The number of loanwords is not necessarily a compelling argument for geographical placement, as loanwords may be replaced in subsequent developments of the language (especially considering the copious borrowing that Albanian later did from Latin and Slavic before any lexicon of Albanian was ever compiled) ... regarding the homeland of the Albanians.
The loan words from Greek and Latin date back to before the Christian era and suggest that the ancestors of the Albanians must have occupied Albania by then to have absorbed such loans from their historical neighbors. As the Illyrians occupied the Albanian territory at this time, they are the most likely recipients of such loans.
Latin loanwords are of extreme importance for the history of Albanian phonology, especially its vocalism. The duration of the borrowing was so long that loanwords reflect several distinct chronological stages.
One other point that some scholars make is the fact that Albanian and Romanian share many lexical items; this has led some to believe that Albanian originated east of its present geographical spread (Georgiev 1957; Hamp 1994).
... for example, argues that from some indeterminate time a pre-Albanian (in Hamp’s terms, Albanoid) population inhabited areas stretching from Poland to the current area
Albanian seems to have lost more than 90 per cent of its original vocabulary in favour of loans from Latin, Greek, Hungarian, Slavonic, Italian and Turkish.
Albanian edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Wikibooks has more on the topic of: Albanian language |
For a list of words relating to Albanian language, see the Albanian language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albanian language. |
Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for Albanian. |