Linguistic glob

By Γιώργος Μίχας (Geórgios Míchas) ARVANITIC, THE LANGUAGE OF THE ANCIENT MACEDONIANS Plutarch tells us that Alexander the Great, after killing Cleitus in a moment of drunken rage, called out to his guards “in Macedonian.” This statement has been known for centuries. It is clear. It is explicit. And yet it is systematically neutralized, relativized, or explained away—because it is inconvenient. If “Macedonian” were simply Greek, Plutarch’s remark would be meaningless. Authors do not specify a language unless there is a contrast. No one writes that a man shouted “in Greek” when Greek is the only language in the room. The very need to name Macedonian presupposes linguistic difference. This is not an interpretation; it is elementary logic. So the question is unavoidable: what was this Macedonian language? It could not have been Slavic. This should not even be a subject of discussion, yet it is endlessly recycled. Slavs appear in the Balkans roughly a millennium after Alexander. To project...

 Language Before Theory: Albanian as a Challenge to Dominant Narratives of Linguistic Origins Introduction Dominant scientific narratives on the origin of language present themselves as neutral, universal, and impartial. In reality, behind this facade of objectivity lies a structural deception: they explain the birth of language using linguistic and conceptual categories that already presuppose language itself. This is a methodological trick disguised as scientific rigor. And when a language like Albanian defies these models, all the contradictions of a system that prefers to ignore what does not fit the norm become painfully visible. Albanian is not an anomaly to be cataloged or marginalized: it is a blow to dominant narratives, a living proof that the linguistic history told in Western textbooks is often an ideological construction rather than a genuine inquiry. Methodological Circularity: The “Sages’” Trick Modern linguistic studies reconstruct the origins of language through pr...

Linguistic and Identity Persistence among Albanians: A Historical Anomaly in the Longue Durée. Introduction The widespread perception that history is often “distorted” or incomplete is not unfounded, particularly when examining the experiences of stateless populations (Schwartz, 1995)¹. The case of the Albanians—especially the Arbëreshë communities in Italy—represents a paradigmatic example of the misalignment between historical reality and dominant historiographical narratives (Elsie, 2001)². The extraordinary persistence of language and identity within these communities, maintained for over five centuries without political autonomy, constitutes an anomaly in the European context and raises significant questions for prevailing interpretative models (De Rada, 1882)³. 1. Structural Limitations of State-Centered Historiography Traditional historiography relies heavily on sources produced by states, institutions, and administrative apparatuses (Braudel, 1980)⁴. This approach tends to marg...

 Cròno- as a Cyclical Code: A Semiotic Reading Abstract This article presents a semiotic analysis of the morpheme crono- as a symbolic code of cyclicity. While traditionally derived from the Greek chrónos (“time”), the morpheme in modern lexical and conceptual formations conveys temporal continuity, recursion, and regeneration. Drawing on Saussurean structural linguistics, Peircean iconicity, Eliade’s models of cyclical time, Lotman’s concept of the semiosphere, and Bakhtin’s chronotope, this study demonstrates that crono- functions as a self-referential semiotic module whose form and structure parallel, conceptually, the symbolism of water sources as perpetual origins. The metaphor of the “O rotating within O” is interpreted as a coherent code articulating cyclical temporality. Keywords: crono-, semiotics, cyclicity, time, recursion, chronotope, iconicity 1. Introduction The morpheme crono- is commonly understood as deriving from the Greek chrónos (“time”). Beyond etymology, howev...

My poem translated into Arberish by Giovanna Brunetti. (The Upper Ionian area of ​​Cosenza) Nan kamnuat e Patrias jonë ne zjarr Anjat arbareshë nisan tua vajtur ka nang a din, prej lloka llargu. Kur një copaz ja Patrias këputat, na cinon por rranjat tona, gjaku jonë, shpirtin jonë nang a harrojam mosnjëherë! A qjellim tek delët jonë, A qjellim tek kankat jona Malat kujtojan si ish motit, Malat murmurjarjan si vjen dita manat. Andj ka çdo kankë shpirti arbëresh ngrathat Çdo herë këtu Çdo herë i zgjuar Çdo herë na thrret! Ditat shkojan Vjeçat shkojan Shekullet shkojan Ma kujtim rrjedh si lum i fort edhe pa fund, Tua sjellur palan jonë, gluthan jonë, gjakun jin. Fluturon parsipar dheravët Nget çdo zamar Edhe kushdo a do mirë Nang a harron mosnjëherë! Rron tek fjalat tona, Rron tek kankat jona, Rron tek zamërat tona. Një flakë çë nang mand të shuthat. Një goljë çë nang mand të mbillat. Arbëresh of Montecilfone Italy translated from Gioacchino Desiderio Ndën timit ta dheut jonë i’atit, çë d...

Mythology and the Source of Life in Albanian Tradition Introduction The study of Albanian language and its connection with greek mythology offers a unique perspective for understanding concepts of life and cosmic order in traditional thought. This article examines the figures of Zeus and Cronus, the etymological links of the word "Zeus"  “Cronos” with Albanian, and how concrete and abstract meanings interact through symbolic and pictorial traditions. The analytical approach aims to show that mythological and linguistic interpretations are neither linear nor singular, but multifaceted and complex. 1. Zeus and His Interpretations The figure of Zeus can be interpreted in several ways: As voice (zëri); As the source of life (zënes); As fire (zjarri); Or as God  "Zot/Zojsi" in Albanian language and mythology . However, according to mythological sources, Zeus is not the first source of life. Cronus (Kronos), his father, is considered the origin of human life. Cronus’ posi...

The Greek verb spáo / spázo (to break, tear, pull) is not an original Greek formation. It derives from the Albanian verbal structure bash > besh (to do, to make) combined with the negative particle S. s’ba = unmake → from which spao develops the meaning “to break” or “to undo.” This shows that the concept expressed in Greek here—“breaking” or “unmaking”—is linguistically traceable to Albanian roots, not the reverse. In short: spáo = s’ba + action → unmake → break. The Greek verb encodes the same conceptual logic already present in Albanian verbal morphology.