by Lulzim Osmanaj

Until recently, it was assumed that there were only two single languages, one was Basque and the other Albanian. All other languages ​​have brothers, sisters, cousins ​​or at least some distant relatives. Even Hungarian, which for a long time considered itself an orphan among languages, has discovered some connections with Finnish and Turko-Tarishe. However, the Basque language in the Pyrenees still stands alone like a rock unclaimed by anyone, without knowing where it came from.

The Albanian language, which is supposed to have been spoken by Alexander the Great and by Achilles, knows who its grandfather is, but has no knowledge of its father. However, neither of these two languages ​​feels orphaned. They are living languages ​​that deal with the affairs of their peoples and they flourish. Those who speak these languages ​​honor and love them, each new generation endowing the old sounds with renewed youth, freshness and vitality

And here we arrive at a paradox. There is a language which, according to all concepts and data, whether scientific or “political-sociological”, is far from being lonely, a member of a large linguistic family. It knows very well where it comes from, what it is and where its origin lies. Moreover, it is not the language of a people surrounded by mountains, like the Albanians and the Basques. On the contrary, it is the language of a scattered people, a very scattered people, who are still surrounded.