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Shqiptar

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Shqip(ë)tar (plural: Shqip(ë)tarët, feminine: Shqip(ë)tare); Gheg Albanian: Shqyptar, Shqiptar), is an Albanian language ethnonym (autonym), by which Albanians call themselves. They call their country Shqipëria and or Shqypnia/Shqipnia (in northern Albanian dialects). During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbëri/Arbëni and referred to themselves as Arbëresh/Arbënesh while known through derivative terms by neighbouring peoples as Arbineş, Arbanas(i), Arvanites, Arnaut and so on. At the end of 17th and beginning of the early 18th centuries, the placename Shqipëria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptarë gradually replaced Arbëria/Arbënia and Arbëresh/Arbënesh amongst Albanian speakers. This was due to socio-political, cultural, economic and religious complexities that Albanians experienced during the Ottoman era.

Contents

Origin theories

The origin of the ethnic name Shqiptar:

  • Gustav Meyer derived Shqiptar from the Albanian verbs shqipoj ("to speak clearly") and shqiptoj ("to speak out, pronounce"), which are in turn derived from the Latin verb excipere, denoting people who speak the same language, similar to the ethno-linguistic dichotomies Sloven—Nemac and Deutsch—Wälsch. This is the theory also sustained by Robert Elsie and Vladimir Orel. Kristo Frashëri supported this and noted that it was first mentioned in the book Meshari (1555) of Gjon Buzuku.
  • Petar Skok suggested that the name originated from Scupi (Albanian: Shkupi), the capital of the Roman province of Dardania (today's Skopje); Albanian demonym Shkuptar (as in inhabitant of Skopje) changed to Shkiptar, which is still used among Arvanites in Greece, and later to 'Shqiptar.
  • The most accredited theory, at least among Albanians, is that of Maximilian Lambertz, who derived Shqiptar from the Albanian noun shqipe or shqiponjë (eagle), cognate with Latin accipiter, which, according to Albanian folk etymology, denoted a bird totem dating from the times of Skanderbeg, as displayed on the Albanian flag.

    • Use in Western Europe

    Skipetar/s is a historical rendering or exonym of the term Shqiptar by some French, Italian, English and German authors in use from the 18th century to the early 20th century.

    Use in South Slavic languages

    The term Šiptar used in Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian (Cyrillic: Шиптар) is considered derogatory by Albanians when used by South Slavic peoples, as the common term would be Albanac. The official term (and one preferred by Albanians) for Albanians in South Slavic languages is Albanac/Albanec (plural: Albanci).

    References

    Shqiptar Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA