Arumanisht në Kodikun e Kostë Cepi-Vithkuqarit
Aromanian in the Codex by Kostë Cepi-Vithkuqari

Summary/Abstract: The object of our paper is the Aromanian Troparion / Easter Hymn text found in a codex (meanwhile lost) of 1820-1822 by Kostë Cepi (Vithkuqari). This text concludes the so-called first phase of the Aromanian (also) writing culture in the Albanian-speaking area, where the writings of Nektar Terpo (1731), Anastas Kavalioti (1770), and Master Daniil (1797, 1802), as well as the anonymous manuscript “Liturghier arominesc” (18th century) are especially important. In line with this tradition of Aromanian writing culture, we note that the Easter Troparion text does not seek any improvement or innovation of the Aromanian script alphabetic code with the Greek alphabet, in the sense that our author, probably Kostë Cepi-Vithkuqari, did not have any intention to cultivate Aromanian literacy with a distinct alphabetical code. Given that the same circumstance prevails in those few Albanian liturgical pieces found in the codex (about 22 pages), which were obviously written by the same author, we come to the conclusion that the author has written in this way for purely personal-didactic needs. Knowing well all three languages, he had no difficulties in changing the language register, in terms of reading rules in one or the other language. Seen from this perspective, the document in question is more an evidence of the cultural-economic coexistence of the multiethnic population in the Albanian-speaking Southern Orthodox area.

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