Albanian language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Albanian |
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| shqip, gjuha shqipe, 𐔀𐔐𐔁𐔀𐔓𐔍𐔀𐔔 | ||||
| Native to | Albania, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria, Albanian diaspora | |||
| Native speakers | 5.4 million in the Balkans (2011)e18 | |||
| Language family |
Indo-European
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| Dialects |
Gheg
Tosk
Arbëresh
Arvanitika
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| Writing system | Latin (Albanian alphabet) Albanian Braille |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in |  Albania Kosovo North Macedonia Montenegro |
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| Recognised minority language in |  Italy Serbia Croatia Romania Bulgaria |
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| Regulated by | Officially by the Social Sciences and Albanological Section of the Academy of Sciences of Albania | |||
| Linguasphere | 55-AAA-aaa to 55-AAA-ahe (25 varieties) | |||
(The map does not indicate where the language is majority or minority.) |
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The Albanian language (called Shqip by its speakers) is a special language that belongs to the Indo-European language family. This means it's related to many other languages spoken across Europe and parts of Asia, like English, Spanish, and Hindi.
Most people who speak Albanian live in Albania. It's also widely spoken in Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia. About 3.5 million people speak Albanian in Albania, and around 500,000 in Kosovo.
Images for kids
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This is what an Albanian keyboard layout looks like.
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See how Albanian fits into the Indo-European language family tree. This chart is based on research from 2015.
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This map shows where the ancient Albanoi tribe lived around 150 AD.
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This map shows the areas of Illyrians, Dacians, Getae, and Thracians around 200 BC.
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This is a 1905 issue of Albania magazine, an important Albanian publication from the early 20th century.
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This is a page from the Meshari (Missal) by Gjon Buzuku, printed between 1554 and 1555.
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This highlighted text is possibly the oldest surviving Albanian writing. It's from the Bellifortis manuscript, written around 1402–1405.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma albanés para niños
