Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the
Albanian language
Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: , , or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. It ...
, spoken by the ethnographic group known as
Tosks
Tosks () are one of two major dialectal subgroups of Albanians (the other being the Ghegs) differentiated by their linguistic characteristics.
Territory
''Tosk'' or ''Toskëri'' may refer to the Tosk-speaking Albanians, Albanian population of ...
. The line of demarcation between Tosk and
Gheg (the northern variety) is the
Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.
Major Tosk-speaking groups include the Myzeqars of
Myzeqe, Labs of
Labëria,
Chams of
Çamëria,
Arvanites of
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
and the
Arbëreshë of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, as well as the original inhabitants of
Mandritsa in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. In
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, there were approximately 3000 speakers in the early 1980s.
Tosk features
* Rhotacism:
Proto-Albanian ''*-n-'' becomes ''-r-'' (e.g. ''rëra'' "sand")
* Tosk dialects preserve the consonant sequences ''mb'', ''ngj'' and ''nd'' which are assimilated to ''m'', ''nj'' and ''n'' in
Gheg.
* Proto-Albanian ''*ō'' becomes ''va''.
* Nasal vowels: There is a lack of nasal vowels in Tosk (e.g. ''sy'' "eye") and Late Proto-Albanian ''*â'' plus a nasal becomes ''ë'' (e.g. ''nëntë'' "nine").
* e-vowel: The ''e'' becomes ''ë'' in some varieties in some words ''qën'' for ''qen'' in Vjosë.
* ë-vowel: The ''ë'' may have several pronunciations depending on dialect: the ''ë'' is more backed in Labërisht dialects like that of
Vuno, where ''mëz'' "foal" is ). Final -ë drops in many Tosk dialects and lengthens the preceding vowel.
* y-vowel: The ''y'' vowel often derounds to ''i'' in Labërisht, Çam, Arvanitika and Arbëresh (e.g. ''dy'' "two" becomes ''di'').
* Dh and Ll: These sounds may interchange in some words in some varieties.
* H: This may drop in any position in some dialects.
* Gl/Kl: Some varieties of Çam, Arberësh, and Arvanitika retain ''kl'' and ''gl'' in place of ''q'' and ''gj'' (e.g. ''gjuhë'' "tongue" is ''gluhë'' in Çam and Siculo-Arberësh, and ''gljuhë'' in Arvanitika; ''klumësh'' for ''qumësht'' "milk" in Arbëresh).
* Rr: ''Rr'' becomes ''r'' in some varieties.
Northern Tosk
Vowels
* Mid sounds ''e'', ''o'' can also be heard as , in free variation.
[ ]
See also
*
Albanian dialects
The Albanian language is composed of many dialects, divided into two major groups: Gheg Albanian, Gheg and Tosk Albanian, Tosk. The Shkumbin river is roughly the geographical dividing line, with Gheg spoken north of the Shkumbin and Tosk south of ...
*
Lab Albanian dialect
*
Cham Albanian dialect
*
Arvanitika
*
Arbëresh language
References
External links
ISO documentation
{{Albanian language
Albanian dialects