The Albanian Origins of Romance "Questo" (This) Fatmir Iliazi Abstract This article proposes an Albanian etymology for the Romance word "questo" (this), challenging traditional Latin-based explanations. Introduction The word "questo" (this) is ubiquitous in Romance languages. However, its semantic complexity remains unexplained by Latin-derived theories. Albanian Connection Albanian offers a compelling etymological explanation: 1. Ky (this one) 2. Eshte (is) The Albanian forms *a (is), asht, isht underlies the existential form "a i zon=a i bër" (it is made, done, created), also rooted in the verb "exist." Semantic Analysis Albanian provides a richer semantic understanding: - Proximity in space and time - Presence and current relevance - Contrast with distal demonstratives (e.g., "that") Comparative Linguistics | Language | Demonstrative | | Albanian | Ky (this) | | Italian | Questo (this) | | Spanish | Este (this) | | French |
The comparative method of etymology, which is a traditional approach in historical linguistics, has some weaknesses compared to my method. The comparative method primarily focuses on comparing words across languages, looking for similarities and cognates. My method, on the other hand, delves deeper into the semantic and metaphorical connections within a language, revealing more nuanced relationships. Copyright © 2024 Fatmir Iliazi