Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Albanians (Albanian: Shqiptarët) and their country Albania (Shqipëria) have been identified by many ethnonyms.The native endonym is Shqiptar.The name "Albanians" (Latin: Albanenses/Arbanenses) was used in medieval Greek and Latin documents that gradually entered European languages from which other similar derivative names emerged. [1]
The language is spoken by approximately 6 million people in the Balkans, primarily in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. [1] However, due to old communities in Italy and the large Albanian diaspora, the worldwide total of speakers is much higher than in Southern Europe and numbers approximately 7.5 million.
The origin of the Albanians has been the subject of historical, linguistic, archaeological and genetic studies. The first mention of the ethnonym Albanoi occurred in the 2nd century AD by Ptolemy describing an Illyrian tribe who lived around present-day central Albania.
The word dhampir is an Albanian word which in turn is borrowed from Serbo-Croat vampír or its Bulgarian equivalent. [2] The shift v > dh is a feature of Gheg Albanian, [3] [4] but it could also have been encouraged by a folk etymology, connecting it with the Albanian words dhamb 'tooth' and pir 'to drink'.
The pronunciation of "β" changed from /b/ in ancient Greek to /v/ in Byzantine Greek. This is reflected in the Turkish term, Arnavut or Arnaut, by ways of metathesis (-van- to -nav-). [1] [9] [10] A related Greek term is Arvanites. The Ottoman Turks borrowed their name for Albanians after hearing it from the Byzantine Greeks. [9]
Ilir is an Albanian masculine given name, [1] derived from i lirë, which means "illyrian" and "being free" in the Albanian language. [2] It is also the Albanian way of referring to an "Illyrian" male.
Albanian presence in Croatia can be traced back to the beginning of the Late Middle Ages. [155] In this period, there was a significant Albanian community in Ragusa with a number of families of Albanian origin inclusively the Sorgo family who came from the Cape of Rodon in central Albania, across Kotor in eastern Montenegro, to Dalmatia. [156]
Albanian names are names that are used by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, or the diaspora.In Albania, a full name usually consists of a given name (Albanian: emri); the given name of the individual's father (Albanian: atësia), which is seldom included except in official documents; and a (most commonly patrilineal) family name or surname (Albanian: mbiemri).