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| Arbëresh | |
|---|---|
| Arbërisht | |
 E Mbësuame e Krështerë / La Dottrina Cristiana Albanese (The Albanian Christian Doctrine),Piana degli Albanesi – Rome 1592. ByLuca Matranga | |
| Pronunciation | [ˌaɾbəˈɾiʃt] |
| Native to | Italy |
| Region | Abruzzo,Apulia,Basilicata,Calabria,Campania,Molise,Sicily |
| Ethnicity | Arbëreshë |
Native speakers | 70,000-100,000[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aae |
| Glottolog | arbe1236 |
| ELP | Arbëreshë |
| Linguasphere | 55-AAA-ah |
 Distribution of Albanian language dialects. | |
 Arbëresh is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
Arbëresh (gluha/gjuha/gjufa Arbëreshe; also known asArbërisht) are theAlbanianlinguistic varieties spoken by theArbëreshë people ofItaly, brought there by several migratory waves ofAlbanians fromAlbania andGreece since theLate Middle Ages. Arbëresh varieties are derived from the oldTosk Albanian varieties spoken in the south-westernBalkans, and throughout the centuries they have developed in Italy in contact with the neighboringItalo-Romance-speaking communities.[2][3] Other Tosk Albanian varieties from the Late Middle Ages referred to asArvanitika (endonym:arbërisht) are spoken inGreece by theArvanites.E Mbësuame e Krështerë (1592) byLuca Matranga fromPiana degli Albanesi is the earliest knownOld Tosk text, a translation of acatechism book fromLatin.
The Arbëreshë people are bilingual, also speaking Italian.[4] Arbëresh is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger. While Italian law protects the language and culture of the Albanian people in Italy,[5] the language taught at school and university is Standard Albanian, constituting an issue for the Arbëresh communities' preservation of their native idiom, which has remained separated from the main Albanian-speaking compact area for around 500 years. Alongside the fact that Arbëresh is rarely written, another issue for thelanguage attrition is the differentiation between the Albanian varieties used in Italy: the Arbëresh local idioms in some areas are so different from each other that Arbëresh people of those areas use Italian or Standard Albanian aslingua franca to communicate with each other.[4][6][7]
Between the 11th and 14th centuries, Albanian-speaking mercenaries from the areas of medievalAlbania,Epirus andMorea nowPeloponesse, were often recruited by theFranks,Aragonese,Italians andByzantines.
The invasion of theBalkans by theOttoman Turks in the 15th century caused large waves of emigration from the Balkans tosouthern Italy. In 1448, the King of Naples,Alfonso V of Aragon, asked the Albanian nobleSkanderbeg to transfer to his service ethnic Albanian mercenaries. Led byDemetrio Reres and his two sons, these men and their families were settled in twelve villages in theCatanzaro area ofCalabria. The following year, some of their relatives and other Albanians were settled in four villages inSicily.[8] In 1459Ferdinand I of Naples also requested assistance from Skanderbeg. After victories in two battles, a second contingent of Albanians was rewarded with land east ofTaranto, inApulia, where they founded 15 villages.[8] After the death of Skanderbeg (1468), resistance to the Ottomans in Albania came to an end. Subsequently, many Albanians fled to neighbouring countries and some settled in villages in Calabria.
There was a constant flow of ethnic Albanians into Italy into the 16th century, and other Albanian villages were formed on Italian soil.[8] The new immigrants often took up work as mercenaries with Italian armies. For instance, between 1500 and 1534, Albanians from centralGreece were employed as mercenaries byVenice, to evacuate its colonies in thePeloponnese, as the Turks invaded. Afterwards these troops reinforced defences in southern Italy against the threat of Turkish invasion. They established self-contained communities, which enabled their distinct language and culture to flourish. Arbëreshë, as they became known, were often soldiers for the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of Venice, between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Despite an Arbëreshë cultural and artistic revival in the 19th century, emigration from southern Italy significantly reduced the population. In particular, migration to theAmericas between 1900 and 1940 caused the total depopulation of approximately half of the Arbëreshë villages. The speech community forms part of the highly heterogenous linguistic landscape of Italy, with 12 recognised linguistic minorities Italian state law (law 482/1999).[5] The exact Arbëresh speech population is uncertain, as the Italian national census does not collect data on minority language speakers. This is also further complicated by the Italian state's protection of the Albanian culture and population as a whole and not Arbëresh Albanian specifically. This law theoretically implements specific measures in various fields such as education, communication, radio, press and TV public service, but in the case of the Arberesh community the legal construction of the language as "Albanian" and the community as the "Albanian population" effectively homogenises the language and has not led to adequate provision for the linguistic needs of the communities.[4]
| The Palaeo-Balkanic Indo-European branch based on the chapters "Albanian" (Hyllested & Joseph 2022) and "Armenian" (Olsen & Thorsø 2022) in Olander (ed.)The Indo-European Language Family |
Arbëresh varieties derive from varieties of OldTosk Albanian, which were spoken in southernAlbania andGreece. They have experienced a similar evolutionary pattern toArvanitika, the Albanian linguistic varieties spoken in Greece. Arbëresh varieties are spoken in Southern Italy in the regions ofAbruzzi,Basilicata,Calabria,Campania,Molise,Apulia andSicily. The varieties of Arbëresh are closely related to each other but are not always entirely mutually intelligible.
Arbëresh retains many features of medieval Albanian from the time before theOttoman invasion of Albania in the 15th century. Arbëresh varieties also retain someGreek elements, including vocabulary and pronunciation, most of which they share withArvanitika varieties. Many of the conservative features of Arbëresh were lost in mainstream Albanian Tosk. For example, it has preserved certain syllable-initial consonant clusters which have been simplified in Standard Albanian (cf. Arbëreshgluhë/ˈɡluxə/ ('language/tongue'), vs. Standard Albaniangjuhë/ˈɟuhə/). Arbëresh most resembles the varieties of Albanian spoken in the southern region of Albania, notablyLab Albanian, as well asCham Albanian.
Arbëresh was commonly calledAlbanese ('Albanian' in the Italian language) in Italy until the 1990s. Until the 1980s Arbëresh was mostly a spoken language, except for its written form used in theItalo-Albanian Byzantine Church, and Arbëreshë people had no practical connection with the Standard Albanian language – which was unified as a mainly Gheg-based standard from 1908 to 1969, and as a mainly Tosk-based standard from 1969 – as they did not use the standard Albanian form of writing.[7]
Since the 1980s, some efforts have been organized to preserve the cultural and linguistic heritage of the language.[citation needed]
Arbëresh has been replaced by localRomance languages and by Italian in several villages, and in others is experiencing contact-inducedlanguage shift. Many scholars have produced language learning materials for communities, including those byGiuseppe Schirò Di Maggio, Gaetano Gerbino, Matteo Mandalà, Zef Chiaramonte.
The Arbëresh local idioms in some areas are so different from each other that Arbëresh people of those areas use Italian or Standard Albanian aslingua franca to communicate with each other.[4][6]
Arbëresh language beside medieval mainland Tosk Albanian is also descended fromArvanitika which evolved separately from other forms of Albanian since the 13th century when its first speakers emigrated to Morea from SouthernAlbania and Epirus.[9] A dialect is defined linguistically as closely related and, despite their differences, by mutual intelligibility.[citation needed] In the absence of rigorous linguistic intelligibility tests, the claim cannot be made whether one is a dialect or a separate variant of the same language group.[10][7][11][12]
The varieties of Arbëresh largely correspond with the regions where they are spoken, while some settlements have distinctive features that result in greater or lesser degrees of mutual intelligibility.
TheSiculo-Arbëresh variety is spoken exclusively in theProvince of Palermo and in three villages:Piana degli Albanesi,Santa Cristina Gela andContessa Entellina; while the varieties of Piana and Santa Cristina Gela are similar enough to be entirely mutually intelligible, the variety of Contessa Entellina is not entirely intelligible. Therefore a further dialect within Siculo-Arbëresh known as thePalermitan-Arbëresh variety can be identified,[13] as well as aCosenza variety, aBasilicata variety, and aCampania variety represented by the speech of one single settlement ofGreci. There is also aMolisan-Arbëresh and anApulio-Arbëresh.
Within the Cosenza Calabrian varieties of Arbëresh, the dialect ofVaccarizzo Albanese is particularly distinct. Spoken in the villages ofVaccarizzo Albanese andSan Giorgio Albanese inCalabria by approximately 3,000 people, Vaccarizzo Albanian has retained many archaic features of bothGheg andTosk dialects.
Some features of Arbëresh distinguish it considerably from standard Albanian while also maintaining features still used in other Tosk Albanian dialects. In some cases these are retentions of older pronunciations.
The letter⟨Ë⟩ is pronounced as either amid central vowel[ə] or as aclose back unrounded vowel[ɯ]. So the wordArbëresh is pronounced either[ɑɾbəˈɾɛʃ] or[ɑɾbɯˈɾɛʃ] depending on the dialect.
Arbëresh lacks theclose front rounded vowel[y] of Albanian, which is replaced by theclose front unrounded vowel[i]. For examplety ('you') becomestihj, andhyni ('enter') becomeshini.
GJ, Q
The letters⟨GJ⟩ and⟨Q⟩ are pronounced as apalatalizedvoiced velar plosive[ɡʲ] and apalatalizedvoiceless velar plosive[kʲ], rather than avoiced palatal plosive[ɟ] and avoiceless palatal plosive[c] as in standard Albanian. E.g. the wordgjith ('all') is pronounced[ɡʲiθ] rather than[ɟiθ],qiell ('heaven') is pronounced[kʲiɛx] rather than[ciɛɫ], andshqip ('Albanian') is pronounced[ʃkʲɪp].
GL, KL
In some words, Arbëresh has preserved the consonant clusters/ɡl/ and/kl/. In Standard Albanian these have mostly become the palatal stopsgj andq, e.g.glet notgjet ('s/he looks like ... '),klumësht notqumësht ('milk'), andklisha instead ofkisha ('church').
H, HJ
The letter⟨H⟩ is pronounced as avoiceless velar fricative[x]. As such, the Albanian wordha ('eat') is pronounced[xɑ], not[hɑ]. Arbëresh additionally has thepalatalized counterpart,[ç]. Therefore, the wordhjedh ('throw') is pronounced[çɛθ]. The letter combination⟨HJ⟩ is present in a few standard Albanian words (without a voiceless velar fricative), but is not treated as a separate letter of the alphabet as it is in Arbëresh.
LL, G, GH
The letters⟨LL⟩ and⟨G⟩ are realised as avoiced velar fricative[ɣ]. The vast majority of these words originate in Sicilian, but the sound also occurs in words of Albanian origin. Often⟨G⟩ when pronounced[ɣ] is replaced by⟨GH⟩ in the Arbëresh orthography, with⟨G⟩ in theory reserved for/ɡ/ (although in practice it is inconsistent). This feature is very strong that it is carried over into the Italian speech of inhabitants ofPiana degli Albanesi andSanta Cristina Gela in words such asgrazie,frigorifero,gallera,magro,gamba etc. which are realised respectively as[ʁratsiɛ],[friɣoˈrifero],[ɣaˈlɛra],[ˈmaɣro],[ˈʁamba] etc.[14][15] In Piana degli Albanesi the tendency is to treat Italianloanwords differently fromSicilian, which results in the difference betweenllampjun, pronounced as[ʁampˈjun] (fromlampione, 'lamp post'), andlampadhin, pronounced as[lampaˈðin] (from Italianlampadina). In the first example, the⟨L⟩ becomes⟨LL⟩[ʁ] because it comes from Sicilian,[why?] whereas in the process of transference from the Italianlampadina to Arbëreshlampadhin, the⟨l⟩ does not change but the⟨d⟩ becomes[ð].
| Written | Pronounced | English |
|---|---|---|
| gëzim | [ʁzim] | joy |
| grish | [ʁriʃ] | invite |
| llah | [ɣaχ] | eat until stuffed |
| pagëzim | [paʁˈzim] | baptism |
| Written | Pronounced |
|---|---|
| fughurë | [fuɣurə] |
| fugatjar | [fuɣatˈjar] |
| garazh | [ɣarˈaʒ] |
| ghurg | [ɣurɣ] |
| ghust | [ɣust] |
| ghuant | [ɣwant] |
| maghare | [maɣaˈri] |
Arbëresh has retained an archaic system[citation needed] offinal devoicing of consonants in contrast with Standard Albanian. The consonants that change when in final position or before another consonant are the voiced stopsb, d, g, gj; the voiced affricatesx, xh; and the voiced fricativesdh, ll, v, z, zh.
| Original voiced | b[b] | d[d] | g/gh[ɡ]/[ɣ] | gj[ɡʲ] | x[dz] | xh[dʒ] | dh[ð] | ll[ɣ] | v[v] | z[z] | zh[ʒ] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devoiced | p[p] | t[t] | k[k] | q[kʲ] | c[ts] | ch[tʃ] | th[θ] | h[x] | f[f] | s[s] | sh[ʃ] |
Examples:
Stress in Arbëresh is usually on thepenultimate syllable, as inItalian.
In Arbëresh, just like in Tosk, the first person presentindicative (e.g. "I work") is marked by the word ending inNJ, whereas in standard Albanian this is normally marked byJ.
So, 'I live' isrrónj in Arbëresh andrroj in standard Albanian.Thepresent continuous orgerund differs from Standard Albanian; Arbëresh uses the form "jam'e bënj" instead of "po bej" (I am doing).
The adoption of words of ancient Greek origin or of the Koine comes above all from their use inByzantine religious practices, when the corresponding use in Albanian declined, the "courtly" one of the church was used. The Arberesh use ancient Greek in their liturgies. Thus synonyms are created, such asparkales orlutje for the word "prayer".
Some Arbëresh words appear to be ofKoine Greek influence. Examples:
Some Arbëresh words appear to be of Albanian Arvanitika which has influenced the current Greek areas since the Middle Ages. Examples:
On the Koine Greek elements in the Italo-Albanian dialects see T. Jochalas (1975).[16]
In the Arbëresh varieties of Sicily and Calabria there areloanwords from theSicilian language that have crystallized into the Arberesh language matrix at some time in the past but have now mostly disappeared, or evolved in the Romance vocabulary of the local population. This also occurs in other Arberesh varieties outside of Sicily with the local Romance varieties of their communities.
Examples:
Alongside the Sicilian vocabulary element in Siculo-Arbëresh, the language also includes grammatical rules for the incorporation of Sicilian-derived verbs in Arbëresh, which differs from the rules concerning Albanian lexical material.
Examples:
In the past tense this conjugates as follows:
| M’e tha mua | He told it to me (feminine object) |
| Ngë m’i tha mua | He did not tell it to me (masculine object) |
| T’e thom | I tell you it (feminine object) |
| T’i thom | I tell you it (masculine object) |
The Arbëreshdiminutive andaugmentative system iscalqued fromSicilian and takes the form of/-ats(-ɛ)/ = Sic. -azz(u/a); for example "kalac" (cavallone/big horse), and the diminutive takes the form of/-tʃ-ɛl(-ɛ)/ from Sic. /-c-edd(u/a); for example "vajziçele" (raggazzina/little girl). The Arbëresh word for "swear word" is "fjalac" and comes from a fusion of the Arbëresh word of Albanian etymology: "fjalë" plus the Sicilian augmentative /-azz[a]/ minus the feminine gendered ending /-a/; this calques the Sicilian word 'palurazza' which iscognate with Italian 'parolaccia'.[15]
There are many instances in which Arberisht differs greatly from Standard Albanian, for instance:
| Arbërisht | Shqip (Standard Albanian) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Falem (Falemi if more than one person) | Përshëndetje / Tungjatjeta | Hello |
| Mirë se na jerdhët / Mirë se vini | Mirë se erdhët | Welcome |
| Mirëmenat | Mirëmëngjes | Good morning (morning, until noon) |
| Vjen’ më rarë orvjen më thënë | do të thotë ordo me thënë | It means |
| Bëjëm të shkonj (Piana degli Albanesi) | më le të kaloj | Let me pass |
| Shkòmë musturën | më jep piperin | Pass me the pepper |
| Zotërote ë një "zot"? | Zotëri, jeni prift? | Sir, are you a priest? |
| E ghrish zotërisë satë për një pasjatë | ju ftoj për një shëtitje | I invite you for a stroll |
| Zglith/djovasë mirë | lexo mirë | Read well |
| qëroi isht burinë i lik | moti është shumë i keq | The weather is very bad |
| U rri Sëndahstinë | jetoj në Shën Kristinë | I live inSanta Cristina |
| Ka bëjëm të ngrënit | do ta gatuajmë ushqimin | We will prepare the food |
| U ka jecur njera qacës | unë kam ecur tek sheshi | I have walked to the square |
| Ghajdhuri isht ndë horë/katund | gomari është në katund/fshat | The donkey is into the village |
| Jam e vete ngulem/flë | unë do të shtrihem/fle | I'm going to sleep |
| lip ndjesë se zgarrarta/gabova shumë | më fal se gabova shumë | I'm sorry that I've made so many errors |
| Ajo isht jime shoqe | ajo është gruaja ime/Im shoqe | She is my wife |
| Flit t'arbrisht | fol shqip | Speak Albanian |
| Jim shoq isht e ngulet | burri im/Im'shoq është duke fjetur | My husband is sleeping |
| Më përqen rritëratin tënd | më pëlqen fotografia jote | I like our photograph |
| Mortatë ormotrëmëmë | hallë ortezë | Aunt |
| Lalë orvovi | xhaxha orLalë (dialect) | Uncle or Older brother |
| Lalbukri | burri i hallës | Uncle uncle in law (father's sister's husband) |
| Vova | motra e madhe | Older sister |
| Tata | babai orat/tata (dialect) | Father |
| Mëmë | nënë ormama | Mother |
| Mëdhè | edhe/ende | Also |
| ghua | vëlla | brother |
| Ndrëngova | Kuptova | I understood |
| Sprasmja | Fund | end |
| Jot'ëm sempri të thëshjë të mos haje nga tajuri çë ngë ka' klënë pastruar! | Jot'ëmë përherë/gjithmonë të thoshte të mos haje nga pjata që nuk është pastruar! | Your mother always said don't eat from plates that haven't been cleaned! |
| Kemi besë se ai ngë i ftes | besojmë se ai nuk ka faj | We believe he is not at fault |
Compared with Standard Tosk Albanian (second row),
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There are many elements of Arberesh grammar that differ considerably from Albanian, for example:
| Arbërisht | Shqip | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ka shkosh | do të kalosh | You will pass | Arbërisht uses the common Balkan participleka, whereas Shqip usesdo which translates as 'want', which is also a feature of the Balkan sprachsbund |
| flini alluras/anangasij | folni/flisni shpejt | Speak fast (pl.) | |
| flëni | flini | Sleep! (pl.) | |
| bëjëm të shkonj | më lër të kaloj | Let me pass | Shqip uses 'allow me to pass' whereas Arbërisht uses 'we do to pass' and 'able to pass'. |
| vajta | Vajta/shkova | I went | Arbërisht conjugates from the Tosk wordtë vete whereasshkova means 'I passed' in Arbërisht |
| ke gjegjur | ke dëgjuar | You have heard | |
| Zoti/prifti zën fill parkalesin/lutjen | Prifti fillon lutjen | The priest starts the prayer | |
| Stis | Ndërtoj | I build | |
| Jo, nëng/ngë e kam parë | Jo, nuk e kam parë | No, I haven't seen it | |
| jam e flas, je flet, ai isht e flet, ajo isht e flet, jem'e flasjëm, jan'e flasjën, jan'e flini | po flas, ti po flet, ai po flet, ajo po flet, po flasim, po flasin, po flisni | I am talking, you are talking, he is talking, she is talking, we are talking, they are talking, you (pl) are talking | The present continuous is marked with the structure 'I am, You are, He is, She is, We are, They are etc. Whereas Shqip usespo which literally means 'yes' |
| ki’ të zgjoneshjëm | duhet të ishim zgjuar | We should have got up | |
| Ku ë/isht/osht Mëria? | Ku është Maria? | Where is Maria? | The locative markerte which literally means 'to' is added beforeku 'where'. (A similar phenomenon occurs in Welsh English and West Country English i.e. 'Where to you going?' or 'Where's he to?') |
| Mërìa rri alartë | Maria jeton lartë | Maria lives upstairs | |
| Si ë Zotërote? | Si jeni ju, Zotëri? | How are you sir? | The polite or formal is marked by use ofZotërote withju being reserved for the plural only |
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 todayAlbania (Babiniotis 1998). Its native equivalents (Arbërorë, Arbëreshë and others) used to be the self-designation of Albanians in general. Both "Arbëria" and "Albania/Albanian" go further back to name forms attested since antiquity.
Within the Arbëresh community the language is often referred to as "Tarbrisht" or "Gjegje". The origin of the term "gjegje" is uncertain, however this does mean "listen" in Arbërisht. Gheg is also the name of one of the two major dialects of Albanian as spoken in the Balkans. According to the writerArshi Pipa, the termGegë was initially used for confessional denotation, being used in pre-Ottoman Albania by its Orthodox population when referring to their Catholic neighbors.[17]
Every Italo-Albanian person is given a legal Italian name and also a name in Albanian Arbërisht. Quite often the Arbëresh name is merely a translation of the Italian name. Arbëresh surnames are also used amongst villagers but do not carry any legal weight; the Arbëresh surname is called an "ofiqe" in Arbërisht. Some Arbëresh 'ofiqe' are 'Butijuni', 'Pafundi', 'Skarpari' (shoemaker from Italian word 'scarpa').
Examples of Italian names and their Arbëresh equivalents:
| Italian | Arbëresh |
|---|---|
| Giuseppe | Zef,Josif |
| Marco | Marku |
| Luca | Lekë,Lekini/u |
| Francesco | Frangjishk,Nxhiku,Çiku |
| Nicola | Kola,Koll, Nikoll |
| Angelica | Ëngjëlliqe |
| Gabriele | Gavril,Bjelli |
| Alessandro | Lishëndër-i |
| Elena, Elenuccia | Lena,Lenuca |
| Giacomo | Minu,Minikeli,Jakini |
| Mario, Mariuccio | Marjani,Marjucë |
| Emanuele,Manuele | Manuel-i |
| Maria | Mëria |
| Martino | Martini,Tinuçë |
| Gaetano | Tani |
| Eleuterio | Lëfteri |
| Antonio | Ndon,Nton,Gjon |
| Gaspare | Ghaspani |
| Domenica | Mima |
| Lorenzo | Lloreu |
| Giovanni | Jani,Xhuan,Vanù |
| Demetrio | Dhimitër-i |
| Spiridione | Spiridhon,Dhoni,Spiro |
| Rosalia,Rosario | Sallja,Saridu |
| Tommaso, Tommasino | Masinë |
| Cosimo | Gësmëni |
| Saverio | Shaverë |
| Andrea | Ndrica |
The language is not usually written outside of the church and a few highly educated families, but officials are now using the standardAlbanian alphabet, which is used on street signs in villages as well as being taught in schools.
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| Mood | Tense | Number and person | English equivalent (only1SG) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||||||
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Indicative | Pluperfect | kisha burë | kishe burë | kishë burë | kishëm burë | kishni burë | kishin burë | I had done |
| Imperfect | ish'e buja (she buja) | ish'e buje (she buje) | ish'e bun (she bun) | ishm'e bujëm | ishn'e buni | ishn'e bujën | I was doing | |
| Perfect | bura | bure | burë | burëm | burën | burën | I did | |
| Present perfect | ka burë | ka burë | ka burë | ka burë | ka burë | ka burë | I have done | |
| Present | bunj | bun | bun | bujëm | buni | bujën | I do, I am doing | |
| Future | ka bunj | ka bush | ka buje | ka bujëm | ka buni | ka bujën | I will do | |
| Imperative | Present | — | buje! | — | — | buni! | — | do! (2nd person only) |
| Form | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | të bunj | to do |
| Gerund | jam e bunj | doing |
| The verbHAVE | The verbBE | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRES | IMPERF | SUBJ.IMPERF | SUBJ.PERF | PRES | IMPERF | SUBJ.IMPERF | 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 |
| Arberesh | English |
|---|---|
| Falem | Hello. |
| Çë bun? Si rri? | What are you doing? How are you? |
| Jam shum mirë | I am very well |
| Të haristis, je mirë? | Thank you, and are you well? |
| O, jam edhe u mirë. | Yes, I'm fine too. |
| Flet arbreshin? | Do you speak Arbërisht? |
| Ka vjen? | Where are you from? |
| Jam arbëresh | I'm Italo-Albanian |
| Mëma isht ka Srigari | My mother is from San Cosmo Albanese |
| Ju parkales | Please |
| Gëzonem të të njoh | Pleased to meet you |
| Mirëdita | Good morning |
| Shihemi | See you soon |
| Gjegjemi njize | We'll speak soon |
| Si të thon? | What's your name? |
| Mua më thonë Marieja | My name is Maria |
| Ëj/ò | Yes (Piana degli Albanesi) |
| Arà/ëj | Yes (Santa Cristina Gela) |
| Ora/ëj | Yes (Contessa Entellina) |
| Jo | No |
| Arbëresh | English |
|---|---|
| te | to |
| nga/ka | from |
| prapa | behind |
| te ana e | beside, next to |
| mbatanë | on the other side |
| kundër | against |
| me | with |
| 'e (F),i (M),të (N &PL) | of |
| brënda | within, inside |
| jashtë | outside |
| sipër | on, above |
| njera | until |
| për | for |
| nën | under |
| mjes/midis/ndër | between, among |
Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns once they are able to be understood from their context.
| Arbëresh | English |
|---|---|
| ai/ajo | that (m/f) |
| ata/ato | those (m/f) |
| ki/kjo | this (m/f) |
| rta/rto | these |
| mosgjë/farëgjë | none |
| Zoti :Gjergji, do ti të marsh për grujaLinën çë ë 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 George want to take as your wife Lina who is present here according to 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 want! |
| Zoti: Bekuar kloft Perëndia jínë nga 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 beseech you. |
| Bekimi të unazavet | |
| Zoti: Me këtë unazë shërbëtori i Perëndis, Gjergji, lidhet me shërbëtorën e Perëndis, Lina, në embër të Atit, të Birit e të Shpirtit Shejt. | Priest: The servant of God, George, is tied to the servant of God, Lina, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. |
| Zoti jep 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 ka hashë bukën e shërbëtyrës s'duarvet tote. Lumë ti e fatbardhë ka jeshë. Jotë shoqe ka jet si dhri me pemë te muret e shpis tënde. Bijët tatë si degë ullinjësh rrethë triesës tënde. Shi kështú ka 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. |
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)...was a confessional name in pre-Ottoman Albania.
Arberesh phrasebook travel guide from Wikivoyage
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