Albanian
RegionAlbania/Kosovo
FamilyIndo-European (Albanian)
Speakers7.5 million total
ScriptLatin
TypeAlphabetic
About Albanian
A lone branch of the Indo-European tree. Descends from an ancient Balkan language, possibly Illyrian. Its 36 letter alphabet mixes Latin and Greek shapes. Two big dialects, Gheg and Tosk, split by a river. Absorbed layers of Latin, Greek, Slavic, and Turkish words.
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