Post by dijedon on Aug 11, 2008 17:28:08 GMT -5
While I was visiting Albania, I spoke to professor Xhemail Vjollca of the prestigious University of Tirana. Our conversation touched on the subject of our Illyrian origins and I asked him if Albanians have oral traditions on passing on this information. I wanted to know if we had a continuity of our self-identity. Other people have such oral traditions. The Romanians, regardless if they hail from the Dacians or not, have maintained a consistent oral tradition in claiming their origins. They have done this since at least the 14th century. The Hungarians have their own legends and the Bulgarians have several. Perhaps we can borrow one from them?
Anyhow, as we spoke, he showed me a list of common words that are shared between Romanians and Albanians; or, words that are most likely are of Dacian origin, but which can only be found in Albanian. He helped contribute to a list on Wikipedia and I thought of sharing this with you. Please note that the sources of this information are Romanian.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romanian_words_of_possible_Dacian_origin
Here are some selective examples:
The Romanian word of abur (steam, vapour) is also found in Albanian (avull) and is thought to have been the Dacian word of abhula. The Romanian word baliga (dung) is found in Albanian as bajgë. The list is quite big, so if you want to compare exclusive words that are only found in Romanian and Albanian, just hit Ctrl and F and search for Albanian.
This, I believe, is the strongest argument to support our Illyrian origins. The indications are not vague at all and can be used to strengthen our arguments. On the other hand, we may not be the only people deriving from the Illyrians, so I don't think that a greater homogenic population grants us the right to claim us as the rightful successors of the Illyrian states.
Another interesting thing I'd like to share with you is a goat song. It's said to be of ancient origin and speaks for our static settlement within the Balkan peninsula. Here's the English translation:
The lyrics lose something in the translation, but I still think it's beautiful.
Anyhow, as we spoke, he showed me a list of common words that are shared between Romanians and Albanians; or, words that are most likely are of Dacian origin, but which can only be found in Albanian. He helped contribute to a list on Wikipedia and I thought of sharing this with you. Please note that the sources of this information are Romanian.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romanian_words_of_possible_Dacian_origin
Here are some selective examples:
The Romanian word of abur (steam, vapour) is also found in Albanian (avull) and is thought to have been the Dacian word of abhula. The Romanian word baliga (dung) is found in Albanian as bajgë. The list is quite big, so if you want to compare exclusive words that are only found in Romanian and Albanian, just hit Ctrl and F and search for Albanian.
This, I believe, is the strongest argument to support our Illyrian origins. The indications are not vague at all and can be used to strengthen our arguments. On the other hand, we may not be the only people deriving from the Illyrians, so I don't think that a greater homogenic population grants us the right to claim us as the rightful successors of the Illyrian states.
Another interesting thing I'd like to share with you is a goat song. It's said to be of ancient origin and speaks for our static settlement within the Balkan peninsula. Here's the English translation:
Flower, flower, on the hill
Bee, bee, to flower you come
Bird, bird, bee you eat
Eagle, eagle, bird you eat
But who eats you!
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
You, eagle, free of sadness
I long after your graciousness
Oh, eagle, eagle!
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
Wolf, you awaken thing
You, defender of the forest
You, offender of the plains
My sheep are my sacrifice to you
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
Bee, bee, to flower you come
Bird, bird, bee you eat
Eagle, eagle, bird you eat
But who eats you!
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
You, eagle, free of sadness
I long after your graciousness
Oh, eagle, eagle!
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
Wolf, you awaken thing
You, defender of the forest
You, offender of the plains
My sheep are my sacrifice to you
Lalala, lalala, oh, oh, oh!
The lyrics lose something in the translation, but I still think it's beautiful.