Languages
The languages that share these similarities belong to five distinct branches of the Indo-European languages:
- Albanian
- Hellenic (Greek)
- Romance languages (Romanian, Aromanian, Megleno-Romance and Istro-Romanian)
- Slavic languages (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian — especially the Torlakian dialect which is transitional between Macedonian, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian)
- Indo-Aryan (Roma/Gypsy & Balkan "Egyptian")
The Finnish linguist Jouko Lindstedt computed in 2000 a "Balkanization factor" which gives each Balkan language a score proportional with the number of features shared in the Balkan language area. The results were:
| Language | Score |
|---|---|
| Balkan Slavic | 11.5 |
| Albanian | 10.5 |
| Greek, Balkan Romance | 9.5 |
| Romani (Gypsy) | 7.5 |
In a narrower examination, Macedonian would actually score full a 12.0 points.
Another language that may have been influenced by the Balkan language union is the Judeo-Spanish variant that used to be spoken by Sephardi Jews living in the Balkans. The grammatical features shared (especially regarding the tense system) were most likely borrowed from Greek.
Read more about this topic: Balkan Sprachbund
Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”
—Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1934)
“The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)
“I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)