The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.
SIL code: AAE
ISO 639-2: ine
| Population | 80,000 (L. Newmark) to 100,000 speakers (N. Vincent in B. Comrie 1987), out of a population of 260,000 (1976 M. Stephens). |
| Region | Southern; Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Sicily. |
| Alternate names | ARBËRESHË |
| Dialects | SICILIAN ALBANIAN, CALABRIAN ALBANIAN, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN ALBANIAN, CAMPO MARINO ALBANIAN. |
| Classification | Indo-European, Albanian, Tosk. |
| Comments | Speakers say the four Italian dialects are not inherently intelligible with each other. 45% lexical similarity with Tosk Albanian. Speakers are bilingual in Italian and regional Italian varieties in varying degrees; one report says they are highly bilingual. Albanian is the language of the home. Strong position in some districts. Not used in schools. No official status. Descendents of 15th century mercenaries. Some literature. Investigation needed: bilingual proficiency in Italian, attitudes toward Italian. Farmers, shepherds. Christian. Bible portions 1868-1869. |
