Never be too shy to ask a question, even if it seems silly or its answer obvious. Albania, a tiny Balkan nation in southeastern Europe, is a country with a rich and distinct history and language. With more and more foreigners discovering this country every year, interest in its customs, history and language continue to grow.

So, a lot of people aren’t sure: what is the language of Albania? The answer: Albanian.

While to many foreigners, Albanians seem like a typical “Eastern European” ethnic group, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Albanian culture, history and language are distinct from the associations many people have with other Balkan or Eastern European peoples, many of whose cultures and languages are Slavic in nature.

Albanian is a completely unique language, different from North Macedonian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Russian, to cite just a few languages people may think of when thinking about this region.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have regional influences – we are in the Balkans, after all, which is known for being a mix of many cultures! Albanian is heavily influenced by Turkish, with traces from Italian, Greek, Latin and even Slavic languages. 

What Language Do they Speak in Albania?

Something many foreigners don’t know about Albanian is that it’s actually not called “Albanian” in the language itself, but, rather, shqip (pronounced almost like “sheep” in American English). 

There are two explanations for this name: the first (with less academic backing) draws on an Albanian legend about a young boy who conquered the wilderness of the mountains and acquired an eagle as an eternal companion. The Albanian word for eagle is shqiponja, and so Albanians became known as the people who mastered the eagle – shqiptare, who speak shqip.

The more academic explanation comes from the word shqipoj, which means “enunciate” or “to articulate clearly.” This word has roots in the Latin “excipere,” which means “to take out” or “extract,” as in extracting or distinguishing sounds in speech. This etymology reflects the notion of speaking intelligibly in a way that people can easily understand.

What Does Albanian Sound Like?

We meant it when we said that this Indo-European language is completely unique, and it’s hard to answer this question without resorting to generalizations. Albanian sounds unlike any other language – to those unfamiliar with Balkan and Eastern European languages, it may sound Slavic. Those who are familiar with the region can immediately detect the heavy influence of Turkish on the language, especially when you hear words like hajde (“come,” “let’s go” or “come on”), pazar (“market,” like bazaar) and kismet (“fate” or “destiny”).

So, at the risk of over-generalizing, Albanian sounds like an “Eastern European” language with heavy Middle Eastern influence. 

The best way to hear Albanian and experience this rich and beautiful language is to visit Albania – and if you want to learn about Albanian culture and how the language itself reflects the region’s history, a visit to the Albanian Night show is a must. During the show, actors speak in Albanian and translate it directly to English, explaining key cultural elements and showcasing the different regional influences inherent in Albanian. 

For example, one song performed during the reenacted Albanian wedding goes:

Hyri nuse, në shtëpia (Enter, oh bride, the house)

Marshallah, marshallah (Praised be God, Praised be God)

This is a typical wedding song that’s all about bringing the bride to her groom’s home and praising her beauty. It may sound like an Arabic or Turkish song, especially given the last two words, but it is, in fact, an entirely Albanian song!

While most Albanians identify as Muslim, this last refrain, when sung at weddings, is seen less as a religious intonation and more as a way to praise the beauty of the bride, making her feel special on her big day. Even today, in regular conversation, Orthodox Christian, Catholic and even agnostic or atheist Albanians will say marshallah to note how remarkable an event or individual is, or to give thanks for good fortunes. Think of it as a way to express admiration for good happenings.

So, what is Albanian similar to? A lot of languages – and, at the same time, it’s completely unique.

 

The Two Major Albanian Dialects

The two major dialects of Albanian are Gheg (spoken in Kosovo and northern Albania) and Tosk (central and southern Albania). The dividing line between these two ways of speaking Albanian can actually be seen in the geography of the country – the Shkumbi River in central Albania demarcates the two regions and dialects.

Standard Albanian, taught in schools and used in official government documents, is based on Tosk. This dialect has slightly more nasal vowels, which makes some people call it more “musical” or exotic. In the remote mountain villages, dialects can get very distinct, making it harder for even Albanians to understand those whose Albanian developed far away from the rest of the country.

Albanian is a unique and vital part of the country’s identity, reflecting its rich heritage and distinct customs and traditions. Plan your visit to Albanian Night today to learn more about Albanian and hear this beautiful language sung and spoken in a live performance!