by Artur Vrekaj. Translation Petrit Latifi

Linguist Joshua Whatmough in his research paper on the Illyrian Ossi tribe (This Ossi tribe spoke the language of the Panions and had their own traditions), located in German territory, documents that:

“We should not be surprised then, to find that what is claimed to be the oldest German document, is written in the Sub-Alpine language, or in the North-Etruscan alphabet on a helmet from Negau in Styria”. (this place is located in present-day Austria).

This is from a former Illyrian territory, (see Kretschmer in Actes du premier congres de linguiste, 1928, page, 110), or this writing on metal is referring to a Sub-Alpine origin, see also the comparative tables of Hamarstrom published in “Studier i nordisk filologi”, 20, 1929 and Feist, in “Acta Philologia Scandinavia”, 4, 1929; a review by Buck in 1919 in “Modern Philology” 17,47; which gives a significant new statement, well-known work of Tacitus, “Germania”, monumentaque et tumulos quosdam Graecis litteris inscriptos in confinio Germanie Raetiaeque adhuc extare, the Sub-Alpine alphabets being in themselves of a Chalcid-Etruscan origin.”

The connection of the Germanic language with the Illyrian language is expressed in vocabulary and morphology, especially in the study of the Raetians, Messapians, Pannonians, etc.

Reference

https://dardaniapress.net/uncategorized/dokumenti-me-i-vjeter-gjerman-eshte-shkruar-ne-gjuhen-ilire/