European parliament working paper
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Albanian (Arvanítika)IntroductionThe Albanian spoken in Greece by the Arvanites (or Arvanítika) is an Albanian Tosk-originated variety which is called Arvanítika in Greece itself. It is mainly spoken in Southern Greece, in Attica, Viotia, Evia, Corinthia and Argolida prefectures; it is also spoken in Greek Thrace by descendants of refugees from eastern Thrace. Arvanítika is often distinguished by linguists from the Albanian Cham sub-dialect spoken in Epirus (in the Thesprotia and Preveza prefectures), the northern Greek region bordering on Albania. Nowadays, all Arvanites are bilingual (Albanian/Greek). Massive migration brought Albanians - the forefathers of the Arvanites of modern Greece - to the Greek peninsula in the 14th century. Most were Orthodox, and the rest were Muslims. They were gradually Hellenised, mainly because of the prestige of Greek, and the administrative division of the Ottoman Empire in millets. Because of their active involvement in the Greek revolt and the proclamation of Greek independence (1830), they are regarded as a constituent group in the Greek nation-building process. However, the massive exodus and extermination of Chams (the Albanian-speaking Muslims of Thesprotia) after World War II greatly reduced the presence of Albanian in the north. The use of the language in various fieldsThere are no reliable sources concerning the use of the language. Arvanítika has never had any official status in Greece and it enjoys no presence in public life, administration, or in the education system. Some estimates talk of over 100,000 speakers. In some villages, even quite close to Athens, most Arvanite adults speak the language, and it is used in bars and cultural centres informally. but only occasionally will a local official use the language in public. It seems certain that only the older generation speaks the language fluently. Only since the massive migration wave of Albanians into Greece in the 1990s can a revitalisation of the language in the public sphere be detected. The few attempts to use the language for artistic performances, mainly in the sphere of folklore music, have not generally been very successful among most Arvanites. ConclusionThe language group, cut off from Albania over 500 years ago, has been greatly influenced by the Greek linguistic environment. The language, already restricted to family or micro-social village circles, is used mainly by the older generations. Already, younger generations of Arvanites have only indirect memories of their linguistic heritage. So the future of Arvanítika is much unsure than that of some other lesser-used languages in the country. BibliographyAngelakis, Petros (Ambassador), Personal communication, May 23 2002. Baltsiotis, L. & Empeirikos, L., L’histoire de la langue albanaise en Grèce de la création de l’état hellénique (1830) à nos jours, EHESS, Paris (forthcoming). Giochalas, T., Markos Botsaris, Dictionary of Rum and Arvanítika, Athens, 1993. Tsitsipis, L., ítikaA Linguistic Anthropology of Praxis and Language Shift. Arvanítika (Albanian) and Greek in contact, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998. Aromanian/VlachIntroductionAromanian is a peculiar to the Balkans, used by the Vlachs as an oral language. In Greece, this Romance language was spoken historically in scattered villages mainly along the Pindus mountain range. There are plenty of theories about the origin of the Vlachs. The distinctive Vlach identity in Greece derives from its Latin origin (a reminder of the Roman era). Due to the rural exodus after World War II, Aromanian is mainly spoken in the larger cities of continental Greece: Athens and Thessalonika, and in districts of towns of northern and central Greece such as Trikala. Of the sizeable traditional Vlach settlements, only the towns of Metsovo and Livadi Olimpou remain Aroumanian-speaking. These days, all Aromanian-speakers also speak Greek. Megleno-Romanian, another Romance variety spoken in a few villages of Northern Greece, is disappearing inside Greece. The use of the language in various fieldsThere are no reliable statistics on the use of the language. In 1951 there were probably far more than the 40,000 speakers that were recorded in the Census. Aromanian only exceptionally and indirectly acquired any official status in Greece. Thanks to an annex to the Treaty of Bucharest (1913), between the wars churches and schools (27 in 1940) functioned in villages and towns of Central and Northern Greece, using and teaching standard Romanian (but not Aromanian) to Vlachs. This period is remembered with misgivings by many Vlachs, who believe it exposed them to Romanian propaganda. Today, the language enjoys no presence in public life, administration, or in the education system. Occasional broadcasting of Vlach songs on local radio stations as well as exceptional musical performances in Aromanian in folklore festivals reveal that the language is marginalized even by its own speakers. A book of poetry was recently published thanks to EU co-funding. A handful of the large number of Aromanian associations in the country seems interested in safeguarding their language. Nevertheless, among Aromanian-speakers, the language still seems to give a person social prestige, so many among them are favourably disposed towards its preservation. ConclusionOpposing tendencies regarding the use of the language within the linguistic community, due to a highly controversial, recent political past, darken the prospects of what has been a rather lively language in Greece. Its decline today appears to be irreversible, despite its potential for acting as a bridge to other Romance languages. BibliographyKatsanis K. & Ntinas K., Grammar of Common Vlach, (in Greek), Archive of Vlach Studies, Thessalonika, 1990 Kahl T., Ethnizitat und räumliche Verteilung der Aromunen in Sudosteuropa, Munstersche Geographische Arbeiten 43, 1999. Krammer J., Aromunischer Sprachatlas, H. Buske Verlag, Hamburg, 1985. Winnifrith T., Vlachs, The History of a Balkan People, London, 1987. Directory: RegData -> etudes -> document travail document travail -> Working paper a single market in financial services RegData -> European commission brussels, XXX RegData -> The european commission RegData -> Provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations Download 1.21 Mb. Share with your friends:
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