Literary Review

Language Family: Indo-European

• about 7.5 million speakers
  Europe (Balkans), North America (United States)

        Albanian Language is one of the oldest Indo-European languages in the world, spoken mainly in the Balkans, as well as the North East of the United States. Albanian is a thriving language, not only in the Balkans, but also in parts of the United States due to the large population of Albanian speakers who live in New York City, New Jersey, and Boston. Roughly about six million people in the Balkans speak the language. Albanian is related to many languages like Greek, Latin, and Slavic languages but it stands on its own as a unique branch. It can often confuse English speakers with different uses of letters in the alphabet, for example: J in Albanian makes the English Y sound, while X in Albanian would make the English J sound. The Albanian language is at least 6.000 years old. The first time it was written dates back to the late 1200s (1284). The language’s consistent vitality can be attributed to its ability to adapt to the speaker’s needs throughout time. Since this language has been spoken for many centuries, it was able to survive through the various evolutions of language, through immigration, cultural development, and the test of time itself the language continued to thrive. 

      Even though the Albanian language originated in the Balkans. The Albanian language has many different dialects, the most commonly spoken dialects are Tosk, which is spoken in the south of Albania, and Gheg, which is spoken in the north of Albania. These dialects are differentiated by phonological differences. Gheg is considered to be an older dialect than Tosk as Gheg was the original language spoken in Albania. The languages and dialects are differentiated also by the religions, beliefs, and traditions. The two Albanian dialects gheg and tosk differ by minor phonological differences such as stressed nasal vowels for example zã and zë.  Although these are not the only differences in the dialects, the stressed nasal vowel is one of the most common differences in the Albanian dialects of Gheg and Tosk.  The Albanian dialects are not only limited to the two that were mentioned prior, the language has roughly ten dialects that are recognized, though Gheg and Tosk are recognized as the main two and considered to be mutually intelligible.

Albanian Language is one of the oldest Indo-European languages in the world. Albanian language originated by the Balkans. The Albanian language has many different dialects, the most spoken dialects are Tosk is spoken in the south of Albania and Gheg is spoken in the north of Albania. These dialects are differentiated by phonological differences. Gheg is an older language than Tosk, Gheg was the original language spoken in Albania since 1909. The newer dialect of Tosk began after World War II. The languages and dialects are differentiated also by the religions, beliefs, and traditions. The two major Albanian dialects gheg and tosk have two different linguistic variables they both differ by minor phonological differences such as stressed nasal vowels for example zã and zë. Tosk lacks a nasal vowel, which is how some can differentiate the two. Although these are not the only differences in the dialects, the stressed nasal vowel is one of the most common differences in the Albanian dialects of Gheg and Tosk. The linguistic variables can have more stress on words in the tosk language and many nasal stops. Tosk is listed as the basic Albanian language; Tosk is the foundation of Albania. Tosk is also a language spoken in Italy and in Greece. 

     Macedonian is a language remarkably similar to Bulgarian and Albanian. The Albanian language became a newer language compared to the Macedonian language, Where Macedonian would be considered a co-official language to Albanian. Macedonian language is not an easy language to translate when it is not taught or spoken. The reason many Albanians speak Macedonian is due to the fact that Albania and North Macedonia share diplomatic relations leaving the two communities to have a language to be spoken. 

    It is worth noting that Albanian isn’t typically considered an important literary language, but Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare explained in an interview with the Paris Review how the language merges classical and modern forms of literary expression: “Albanian is simply an extraordinary means of expression—rich, malleable, adaptable. As I have said in my latest novel, Spiritus, it has modalities that exist only in classical Greek, which puts one in touch with the mentality of antiquity. For example, there are Albanian verbs that can have both a beneficent or a malevolent meaning, just as in ancient Greek, and this facilitates the translation of Greek tragedies, as well as of Shakespeare, the latter being the closest European author to the Greek tragedians. When Nietzsche says that Greek tragedy committed suicide young because it only lived one hundred years, he is right. But in a global vision, it has endured up to Shakespeare and continues to this day. On the other hand, I believe that the era of epic poetry is over. As for the novel, it is still very young. It has hardly begun.” (Posted November 17, 2017). Ismail Kadare is considered to be the main literary influence on the language, some articles speak on how he seems to be one of the main  (and only) ways to research Albanian in a literary sense and is in the spotlight for the Albanian people. It has been mentioned in an article specifically by Barbara Halla that “It feels impossible to avoid him.” and that with some of his writing “The question raised is whether this interpretation of Albanian history reinforces the propaganda already put in place by the Communist regime.” This skews what is available to us regarding Albanian and leaves us with a small pool of options, as his writing is solely what is being translated as opposed to the other masses of writers.

Link to an Albanian writer that took “literary Paris by storm”/ Interview