Arbëresh language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Arbëresh Arbërisht(e) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation: | [ˌæɾ.bəˈɾiʃ.t] | |
| Spoken in: | Italy, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Albania | |
| Region: | Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, , Molise, Sicily | |
| Total speakers: | 280,000 (out of an ethnic population of 2,000,000) | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Albanian Tosk Arbëresh |
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| Writing system: | Arvanitic alphabet Latin alphabet |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | alb (B) | sqi (T) |
| ISO 639-3: | aat | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
Arbëresh, Arbërisht or Arbërishte (Arbërishte in Albanian language) is the dialect of the Albanian language spoken by the Arbëreshë; the Albanian-speaking minorities in Italy.
It derives from the Tosk dialect spoken in southern Albania, and is spoken in Southern Italy in the regions of Calabria, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, Abruzzi, Sicily. All dialects are closely related to each-other but are not entirely mutually intelligible.
The language retains many archaisms of medieval Albanian from the pre-Ottoman invasion of Albania in the 15th century. It also retains some Greek language elements, including vocabulary and pronunciation. It has also preserved some conservative features that were lost in mainstream Albanian Tosk. For example, it has preserved certain syllable-initial consonant clusters which have been simplified in Standard Albanian (cf. Arbërisht gluhë /'glu.xə/ ('language/tongue'), vs. Standard Albanian gjuhë /'ɟu.hə/).
Arbërisht was commonly called 'Albanese' (Albanian in the Italian language) in Italy until the 1990s. However, Italo-Arbërisht speakers point out the differences with Modern Standard Shqip and do not self-identify as Shqiptars. Until recently, Arbërisht speakers had only very imprecise notions about how related or unrelated their language was to Albanian. Until the 1980s Arbërisht was exclusively a spoken language, except for its written form used in the Italo-Albanian Church, and Arbëreshë people had no practical affiliation with the Standard Albanian language used in Albania, as they did not use this form in writing or in media. When a large number of immigrants from Albania began to enter Italy in the 1990s and came into contact with local Arbëreshë communities, the differences and similarities were for the first time made known. There are mixed feelings towards the "new Albanians."[1]
Since the 1980s, there have been some organized efforts to preserve the cultural and linguistic heritage of the language.
Arbërisht has been under a slow decline in recent decades, but is currently experiencing a revival in many villages in Italy. Figures such as Zef Skirò Di Maxho have done much work on school books and other language learning tools in the language, producing two books 'Udha e Mbarë' and 'Udhëtimi,' both used in schools in the village of Piana degli Albanesi.
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[edit] False Friends
Whilst the relation between Arbërisht and Shqip is close, the two are not 100% mutually intelligible and there are many false friends, for example:
ARBËRISHT "shërbenj" = Work ; SHQIP "shërbej" = Serve
ARBËRISHT "punonj" = Work in the fields ; SHQIP "punoj" = Work
ARBËRISHT "u'në" = I am not ; SHQIP "unë" = I am
ARBËRISHT "kopíl" = little boy ; SHQIP "kopil" = illegitimate boy
ARBËRISHT "brekë" = Trousers ; SHQIP "brekë" = underpants (compare British English and American English)
ARBËRISHT "brumë" = pasta ; SHQIP "brumë" = dough
ARBËRISHT "zienj" = Cook ; SHQIP "ziej" = Boil
ARBËRISHT "argát" = villager ; SHQIP "argat" = farmer
[edit] Distinctive Features
Arbërisht retains some features which distinguish it considerably from Shqip, the form of Albanian spoken in Albania.
[edit] Pronunciation
Ë
The letter "Ë" is pronounced as either a Schwa [ə] or as a Near-close near-back vowel [ʊ̜]. So the word "Arbëresh" is pronounced either [ɑɾbəɾ'ɛʃ] or [ɑɾbʊ̜ɾ'ɛʃ] depending on the dialect.
GJ
The letter "GJ" is pronounced as a palatalized Voiced velar plosive [ɡʲ] rather than the Voiced palatal plosive [ɟ] of Shqip. Therefore, the word "Gjith" (all) is pronounced [ɡʲiθ] rather than [ɟiθ].
H
The letter "H" is pronounced as the Voiceless velar fricative; the [x] sound as in Greek: χαρά [xaˈra], "joy." As such, the Albanian word "Ha" (eat) is pronounced: [xɑ], not [hɑ] as it is in Shqip.
HJ
Arbërisht has a palatalized Voiceless velar fricative pronounced [xʲ]. Therefore, the word "Hjedh" (throw) is pronounced [xʲɛð]. The combination HJ is present in a few Shqip words (without the voiceless velar fricative), but is not treated as a separate letter of the alphabet as it is in Arbërisht.
LL
The letter "LL" is pronounced as the Voiced velar fricative; the [ɣ] sound as in Greek: γάλα [ˈɣala] "milk." As such, the Albanian word "Llah" (to eat until stuffed) is pronounced: [ɣɑx], not [ɫɑh] as in Shqip.
Q
The letter "Q" is pronounced as a palatalized "k" [kʲ] rather than the Shqip Voiceless palatal plosive [c]. The word "Qiell" (heaven) is pronounced [kʲiɛɣ] rather than [ciɛɫ].
[edit] Q to KL
In some words, the letter "Q" in a word in Shqip is replaced by "KL" in Arbërisht; e.g. "klumësh" not "qumësht" (milk).
[edit] GJ to GL
In some words, the letter "GJ" in a word in Shqip is replaced by "GL" in Arbërisht; e.g. "glet" not "gjet" (s/he looks like...).
[edit] J to NJ
In Arbërisht the present indicative for "I" (i.e. I work) is marked by the word ending in "NJ," whereas in Shqip this is normally marked by "J." So, "I go" is "shkónj" in Arbërisht and "shkoj" in Shqip.
[edit] LL to RR
In Arbërisht some Shqip words like djall (demon) or gjallë (in life) become djarr or gjarrë.
[edit] Y to I
In Arbërisht the Albanian y [y] is replaced by i [i]. For example ty (you) becomes ti, hyni (enter) becomes hini.
[edit] Stress
Stress in Arbërisht is usually on the penultimate syllable, as in Italian.
[edit] Vocabulary
Arbërisht retains many archaisms which have since disappeared from Shqip or else are only remembered by the elderly or found in old texts. Many of these archaisms appear to be of Greek etymological origin, or to at least share the same etymology as the corresponding Greek word.
Example: haristís [xaɾisti's] (thank) shared with Greek "εὐχαριστῶ" [e̞fˌxariˈsto̞] meaning "thank you." parkalés [paɾkalɛ's] (I plead, please) shared with Greek "παρακαλώ" [paˌrakaˈlo̞] meaning "please." hórë [xɔ'ɾə] (village) shared with Greek "χωρα" (Chora: land, main village). amáhj [ama'xʲ] meaning "war" shared with Greek "μάχη" [ma'xi] meaning "battle."
[edit] Comparison with other forms of Albanian
Compared with Standard Tosk Albanian (third row),
Source: Η Καινή Διαθήκη στα Αρβανίτικα; |
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[edit] Name
The name Arbërishte is derived from the ethnonym "Albanoi", which in turn comes from the toponym "Arbëria" (Greek: Άρβανα), which in the Middle Ages referred to a region in what is today Albania (Babiniotis 1998). Its native equivalents (Arbërorë, Arbëreshë and others) formerly were the self-designation of Albanians in general. Both "Arbëria" and "Albania/Albanian" go further back to name forms attested since antiquity.
[edit] Classification
Italo-Arbërisht is descended from Arvanitika, which is the eldest sub-dialect of Arbërisht, part of the Tosk dialect group of Albanian.[2] It was brought to southern Greece during the late Middle Ages by settlers from what is today southern Albania and Epirus, and subsequently taken to Italy from there. Italo-Arbërisht has retained some words identical to Greek words dhrom 'road', from δρόμος; Ne 'yes', from ναι, in the village of Greci. Italo-Arbërisht and Greco-Arbërisht have a mutually intelligible vocabulary base, the unintelligible elements of the two dialects stem from the usage of Italian or Greek modernisms in the absence of native ones.
Spoken Arbërisht is internally richly diversified into sub-dialects, and no further standardization towards a common (spoken or written) Standard Arbërisht has taken place. At the same time, Arbërisht speakers do not use Standard Albanian as their standard language either, as they are generally not literate in the standard Albanian orthography, and are not reported to use spoken-language media in Standard Albanian. In this sense, then, Arbërisht is not functionally subordinated to Standard Albanian as a dachsprache ("roof language"), in the way dialects of a national language within the same country usually are.
[edit] Writing system
The language is not usually written outside of the church and a few highly educated families, but officials are now using the standard Albanian alphabet, which is used on street signs in the villages as well as taught in schools.
[edit] Language samples
[edit] Pronouns
| Personal pronouns | Possessive pronouns | |||
| 1Sg. | û | I | jími | mine |
| 2Sg. | ti | you | jíti | yours |
| 3Sg.m. | ái | he | i/e tíj | his |
| 3Sg.f. | ajó | she | i/e sáj | hers |
| 1Pl. | ne | we | jíni | ours |
| 2Pl. | ju | you | júaj | yours |
| 3Pl.m. | atá | they (m.) | atíre | theirs (m.) |
| 3Pl.f. | ató | they (f.) | atíre | theirs (f.) |
[edit] Verb paradigms
| The verb HAVE | The verb BE | |||||||
| Pres. | Imperf. | Subj.Impf. | Subj.Perf. | Pres. | Imperf. | Subj.Impf. | Subj.Perf. | |
| 1Sg. | kam | keshë | të kem | të keshë | jam | jeshë | të jem | të jeshë |
| 2Sg. | ke | keshe | të kesh | të keshe | je | jeshe | të jesh | të jëshe |
| 3Sg. | ka | kish | të ket | të kish | ishtë, është | ish | të jet | të ish |
| 1Pl. | kemi | keshëm | të kemi | te keshëm | jemi | jeshëm | të jeshëm | të jeshëm |
| 2Pl. | kini | keshëtë | të kini | te keshëtë | jini | jeshëtë | të jeshëtë | të jeshëtë |
| 3Pl, | kanë | kishnë | të kenë | të kishnë | janë | ishnë | të jenë | të ishnë |
[edit] Some common phrases
| Falem | Hello. |
| Çë bën? | What are you doing? |
| Si rri? | How are you? |
| Jam shumë mirë, naní ngë bënj mosgjë | I am very well, I'm not doing anything now. |
| Të haristis, e ti je mirë?? | Thank you, and are you well? |
| O, jam edhé mirë? | Yes, I'm fine too. |
| Flet arbërisht? | Do you speak Arbërisht? |
| Flas shumë pak. | I speak very little. |
| Ka vjen? | Where are you from? |
| U vinj ka palermë. | I'm from Palermo. |
| Je arbëresh? | Are you Arbëresh? |
| Jam gjimse gjimse, jime mëmë isht arbëreshe pó játi jím ë litir. | I'm half half, my mother is Arbëresh but my father is Italian. |
| Jadhá je dhé arbëresh, vetëm ka të kesh pak gjak! | Therefore you are Arbëresh too, one need only have a little blood! |
| Të parkales | Please |
| Gëzuar të të njoh | Pleased to meet you |
| Mirë menatë | Good morning |
| Shihemi | See you soon |
| Si të thonë? | What's your name? |
| Mua më thonë marieja | My name is Maria |
| O/ëj | Yes (Piana degli Albanesi) |
| Ara | Yes (Santa Cristina Gela) |
| Jo | No |
[edit] Sample text
Shërbesa e Kurorës - The Arbëresh Marriage Ceremony
Zoti : Gjergj, do ti të marrëshë për grua Lina çë ke këtú te ana, si urdhuron Klisha Shejte, e të qëndrosh lidhur me atë në të mirën si edhé në të ligën gjithë ditët e gjellës tënde?
Priest: Do you Gjergj want to take as your legitimate wife Lina who is present here according to the the instructions of the Holy Church and to be faithful through the good and the bad all of your life?
Dhëndërri: O, e dua!
Groom: Yes, I do want that!
Zoti: Bekuar kloft Perëndia jínë ka herë, naní e për gjithëmonë e për jetë të jetëvet.
Priest: blessed be our God for all time, now and always in the centuries of centuries.
Populli: Amín.
People: Amen.
Zoti: Në paqe parkalesjëm t'ën Zonë.
Priest: In peace we pray to the Lord.
Populli: Lipisí, o i Madh'yn'Zot.
People: Our Great God, we beseach you.
Bekimi të unazavet
Zoti: Me këtë unazë shërbëtori i Perëndis Gjergj lidhet me shërbëtorën e Perëndis Lina në embër të Atit, të Birit e të Shpirtit Shejt.
Priest: The servant of God Gjergj is tied to the servant of God Lina, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Zoti jepë krinjët e këndon Msalmin 127: Të limë atá çë i trëmben t'ynë Zoti e çë jecjën te udhët e Tij.
the priest delivers the candles and intones Psalm 127 Make happy those who fear the Lord and may they walk in His ways.
Lëvdi tij, o i madh'yn'Zot, lëvdi tij. Dhóksa si, o Theós imón, dhóksa si Glory to you, our God, glory to you.
Se ti do të hashë bukën e shërbëtyrës s'duarvet tote. Lumë ti e fatbardhë do të jeshë. Jotë shoqe do të jet si dhri me pemë te muret e shpis tënde. Bijët tatë si degë ullinjësh rrethë triesës tënde. Shi këstú do të jet bekuar njeriu çë ka trëmbësirën e Perëndisë.
That you will eat the bread of the work of your hands. You will be happy and enjoy all that is good. See your wife as a fertile vine in the intimacy of your home. That your daughters will be like olive branches around your table. That those who fear the Lord will be blessed.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ New Albanian Immigrants in the Old Albanian Diaspora: Piana Degli Albanesi. Eda Derhemi
- ^ Ethnologue, Joseph (1999)
[edit] References
- Babiniotis, Georgios (1985): Συνοπτική Ιστορία της ελληνικής γλώσσας με εισαγωγή στην ιστορικοσυγκριτική γλωσσολογία. ["A concise history of the Greek language, with an introduction to historical-comparative linguistics] Athens: Ellinika Grammata.
- Babiniotis, Georgios (1998), Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας ["Dictionary of Modern Greek"]. Athens: Kentro Lexikologias.
- Breu, Walter (1990): "Sprachliche Minderheiten in Italien und Griechenland." ["Linguistic minorities in Italy and Greece"]. In: B. Spillner (ed.), Interkulturelle Kommunikation. Frankfurt: Lang. 169-170.
- GHM (=Greek Helsinki Monitor) (1995): "Report: The Arvanites". Online report
- Gordon, Raymond G. (ed.) (2005): Ethnologue: Languages of the world. 15th edition. Dallas: SIL International. Online database
- Hammarström, Harald (2005): Review of Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th Edition. LINGUIST List 16.2637 (5 Sept 2005). Online article
Vol. II. Livadia: Exandas, 1999 PDF.
- Η Καινή Διαθήκη στα Αρβανίτικα: Διάτα ε Ρε ['The New Testament in Arvanitika']. Athens: Ekdoseis Gerou. No date.
- Kloss, Heinz (1967): "Abstand-languages and Ausbau-languages". Anthropological linguistics 9.
- Salminen, Tapani (1993-1999): Unesco Red Book on Endangered Languages: Europe. [1].
- Strauss, Dietrich (1978): "Scots is not alone: Further comparative considerations". Actes du 2e Colloque de Language et de Litterature Ecossaises, Strasbourg 1978. 80-97.
- Thomason, Sarah G. (2001): Language contact: An introduction. Washington: Georgetown University Press. Online chapter
- Trudgill, Peter (2004): "Glocalisation [sic] and the Ausbau sociolinguistics of modern Europe". In: A. Duszak, U. Okulska (eds.), Speaking from the margin: Global English from a European perspective. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. Online article
