Hanns Sköld (Linguist)

“The Albanian language is unique and represents an independent branch of the Indo-European language family. Its roots trace back thousands of years, containing remnants of the Paleo-Balkan world.”
(Sköld, Über die Stellung des Albanischen,)

2. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Philosopher and Linguist)

“The Albanian language seems to be a remnant of the languages spoken in the Balkans before the arrival of the Romans and Slavs. It could serve as an important key to Europe’s ancient history.”
(Leibniz, 1705)

3. Edwin Jacques (Historian)

“The Albanian language is among the oldest languages of Europe, a direct descendant of the Illyrian tongue, preserved through centuries of isolation and historical upheaval.”
(Jacques, The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present)

4. August Schleicher (Linguist)

“Albanian, as a language, holds an isolated position within the Indo-European family, preserving elements of great antiquity, likely linked to the Illyrian tribes.”
(Schleicher, Compendium der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen, 1861)

5. Wilhelm Meyer-Lübke (Linguist)

“The Albanian language is an invaluable remnant of the ancient Indo-European tongues of the Balkan Peninsula, connecting us to the world of the Illyrians.”
(Meyer-Lübke, Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch)

6. Johann Georg von Hahn (Austrian Historian and Albanologist)

“Albanian preserves traces of an ancient language that predates many of the Indo-European tongues in the Balkans. It is likely the last living representative of the Illyrian language group.”
(Hahn, Albanesische Studien, 1854)

7. Eric P. Hamp (Linguist)

“Albanian is a direct descendant of one of the ancient Balkan languages, surviving millennia of external influence while retaining its distinct Indo-European structure.”
(Hamp, various works on Albanian linguistics,)

8. Neritan Ceka (Archaeologist)

“The Albanian language and its speakers are a living link to the Illyrians, whose presence in the Balkans spans thousands of years. Linguistic and archaeological evidence continues to affirm this continuity.”
(Ceka, The Illyrians to the Albanians, 2005)​