ALBANIAN DIALECTS IN THE LIGHT OF THE LANGUAGE CONTACTS
ALBANIAN DIALECTS IN THE LIGHT OF THE LANGUAGE CONTACTS

Summary/Abstract: The currently accepted classification of Albanian dialects was formulated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by joint works of Albanian and foreign researchers. Like most "traditional" dialect classifications, it is based on the principles developed by comparative-historical linguistics in the early 19th century. The past decades, filled with intensive dialectological work, have not introduced any fundamental changes in this classification, thus confirming its adequacy and integrity. 1 See, first of the studies by M. Lambertz, J. Gjinari and A.V. Desnitskaya. However, along with the traditional comparative-historical ones, there are other approaches to the typology and classification of dialects, based in particular on the achievements of the theory of language contacts and sociolinguistics. Such approaches are especially important for the Balkan area, with its intensive interlingual and interdialectal contacts, population migrations and so on.

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