Gheg Albanian

Gheg
Gheg
Region	Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey
Native speakers	4,200,000
Language family	Indo-European Albanian Gheg; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	aln
Linguasphere	to 55-AAA-aag 55-AAA-aaa to 55-AAA-aag
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Gheg (or Geg) is one of the two major varieties of Albanian language. The other one is Tosk, on which standard Albanian is based. The dividing line between these two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds its way through central Albania.

Gheg is spoken in Northern Albania, Kosovo^[a], northwestern Republic of Macedonia, southern Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey^{[citation needed]}. It is also spoken in parts of Sicily and southern Italy.^{[citation needed]}

There are still some authors who write in Gheg.

Gheg does not have any official status as a written language in any country. Publications in Kosovo and Macedonia are in standard Albanian.

Dialects

Gheg has several dialects, notably:

Southern Gheg

Southern Geg spoken in Albania (Durrës, Elbasan, Tiranë) and western Macedonia^[1]
- Central Gheg, a subdialect of southern Geg (Tiranë, Krujë, Burrel) ^[1]

Northern Gheg

Northwestern Gheg (Shkodër, Vermosh, Selcë, Vukël, Lëpushë, Nikç, Tamarë, Tuzi, Ulcinj, Bar, Plav, Gusinje, Peć, Đakovica, Prizren)^{[citation needed]}
Eastern Gheg (Peshkopi, Debar, Tetovo, Kičevo, Gostivar, Veles, Prilep)^{[citation needed]}
Northeastern Gheg (Skopje, Kumanovo, Kačanik, Dragaš, Gnjilane, Preševo, Bujanovac)^{[citation needed]}
Northern Gheg (Pristina, Kosovska Mitrovica, Podujevo, Medveđa and former Albanian-populated territories of Niš Sanjak (Niš, Vranje, Toplica District)).^{[citation needed]}

Italian linguist Carlo Tagliavini puts the Gheg speech of Kosovo and Macedonia in "Eastern Geg".^[2]

Phonology

Assimilations are common in Gheg, but are not part of the Albanian literary language which only follows Tosk Albanian.^[3]

Vowels

Oral

IPA	Written as
[ə]	ë (nër)
[a]	a (dash)
[ɑ]	â (prâpë)
[ɒ]	ä (knäqët)
[e]	e (derë)
[ɛ]	ê (mênôj)
[i]	i (dritë)
[o]	o (kos)
[u]	u (kur)
[y]	y (shykyr)
[ɔ]	ô (dôrë)

Nasalized

IPA	Written as
[ĩ]	ĩ
[ɛ̃]	ẽ
[ɑ̃]	ã
[ɔ̃]	õ (some dialects)
[ỹ]	ỹ
[ũ]	ũ (hũna)

Differences between varieties

Standard	Toskësisht	Gegënisht	English
Shqipëri	Shqipëri	Shqypní / Shqipni	Albania
një	një	nji / njâ	one
nëntë	nëntë	nândë / nânt	nine
është	është	âsht / â	is
bëj	bëj	bâj	I do
emër	emër	êmën	name
pjekuri	pjekuri	pjekuni	mellowness
gjendje	gjëndje	gjêndje / gjênje	state, condition
zog	zok	zog	bird
mbret	mbret	mret / regj	king
për të punuar	për të punuar	me punue / me punu	to work
rërë	rërë	rânë	sand
qenë	qënë	kjênë / kênë	to be
dëllinjë	enjë	bërshê	juniper
baltë	llum	lloq	mud
cimbidh	mashë	danë	fire-iron
mundem	mundem	mûj / mûnem	I can
vend	vënd	ven	place
dhelpër	dhelpër	skile / dhelpën	fox

Annotations

^ ^a ^b Template:Kosovo-note

References

^ ^a ^b Hinrichs, Uwe; Buttner, Uwe (1999). Handbuch der Sudosteuropa-Linguistik. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 285. ISBN 978-3-447-03939-0. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
^ Carlo Tagliavini (1942), Le parlate albanesi di tipo Ghego orientale: Dardania e Macedonia nord-occidentale,
^ Camaj 1984, p. 4

Sources

Martin Camaj (1984), Albanian grammar, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
Carlo Tagliavini (1942), Le parlate albanesi di tipo Ghego orientale: Dardania e Macedonia nord-occidentale,

External links

[status-1] Template:Kosovo-note

[HinrichsButtner1999-2] Hinrichs, Uwe; Buttner, Uwe (1999). Handbuch der Sudosteuropa-Linguistik. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 285. ISBN 978-3-447-03939-0. Retrieved 5 April 2011.

[3] Carlo Tagliavini (1942), Le parlate albanesi di tipo Ghego orientale: Dardania e Macedonia nord-occidentale,

[Camaj-1984-4-4] Camaj 1984, p. 4

[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]