About the Albanian Language

Albanian is a unique Indo-European language. It is spoken by about 6 million people, mainly in Albania and Kosovo. There are two principal dialects:  Gheg, the northern dialect, and Tosk, the southern dialect, which is the official language of the Republic of Albania and is the one taught in the Pimsleur program.  In their less extreme forms the dialects are mutually intelligible.  Albanian is also one of the official languages of Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia.

Albanian (Shqip / Gjuha shqipe)

Albanian is an Indo-European language which forms its own branch in the Indo-European family and has no close relatives. It is spoken by about 7.6 million people mainly in Albania and Kosovo, and also in parts of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece and Italy. 

Origins

Albanian is thought by some scholars to be a descendent of Illyrian, a group of Indo-European languages spoken in the Western Balkans until perhaps the 6th century AD. Others believe that Albanian descended from Thracian or Dacian, Indo-European languages spoken in parts of the Balkans until about the 5th century AD. 

Linguistics influences

Albanian absorbed some words from Greek and many words from Latin between about the 2nd century BC and the 5th century AD. After that the language was influenced by the languages of Slavic and Germanic tribes who settled in the Balkans. There were also borrowings from the Proto-Romanians or Vlachs from the 9th century AD. 

Dialects

There are two main dialects of Albanian: Tosk (Toskėsisht) Gheg (Gegėrisht) and the dividing line between them is the Shkumbin river. Tosk, the official language of Albania, and one of the official languages of Kosovo and Macedonia, is spoken in southern Albania, Turkey, Greece and Italy, while Gheg is spoken in Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, northern Albania and Bulgaria. The dialects are more or less mutually intelligible, and transitional varieties of Albanian are spoken in central Albania. 

Written Albanian

Albanian has been written with various alphabet since the 15th century. Originally the Tosk dialect was written with the Greek alphabet, while the Gheg dialect was written with the Latin alphabet. They have both also been written with the Turkish version of the Arabic alphabet. The Latin alphabet for Albanian was standardised in 1909, and a unified literary version of Albanian, based on the Tosk dialect, was established in 1972. 

Albanian has also been written with a number of other alphabets, including Elbasan, Beitha Kukju and Todhri, local inventions which appeared during the 18th and 19th centuries but were not widely used. 

Albanian alphabet and pronunciation

Tosk dialect (Toskėsisht)

Albanian alphabet and pronunciation 

Gheg dialect (Gegėrisht)

The main phonological difference between Gheg and Tosk is in the pronunciation of vowels. Here are the Gheg vowels: 

Vowels of the Gheg dialect of Albanian 

Sample text (Tosk)

Tė gjithė njerėzit lindin tė lirė dhe tė barabartė nė dinjitet dhe nė tė drejta. Ata kanė arsye dhe ndėrgjegje dhe duhet tė sillen ndaj njėri tjetrit me frymė vėllazėrimi. 

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) 

Sample text (Lord's Prayer in Tosk)

Ati ynė qė je nė qiell, u shėnjtėroftė emri yt.
 arthtė mbretėria jote; u bėftė dėshira jote,
 si nė qiell, edhe mbi dhe.
 bukėn tonė tė pėrditėshme jepna neve sot;
 edhe falna fajet tona,
 sikundėr edhe ne ua falim fajtorėvet tanė;
 edhe mos na shtjerė nė ngasje, po shpėtona nga i ligu;
 sepse jotja ėshtė mbretėria e fuqia e lavdia nė jetėt tė jetėvet. 

Sample text (Lord's Prayer in Gheg)

Ati ynė qė je nė qiell, shejtnue kjoftė emni yt.
 ardhtė mbretnia jote; u baftė vullnesa jote,
 si nė qiell ashtu nė dhe.
 Bukėn tonė tė pėrditshme epna ne sot;
 e ndiejna ne fajet e mėkatet tona,
 si i ndiejmė na fajtorėt tanė;
 e mos na len me ra nė keq, por largona prej gjith sė keq;
 sepse joteja āsht rregjinija e fuqia e lafti nė jetėt tė jetėvet