L'elemento latino della lingua albanese - un impatto della Via Egnatia?

Abstract

According to a wide-spread theory, the Latin loanwords of Albanian originate from the Latin once spoken along the Via Egnatia which ran through Albania on its way to Byzantium. This theory implies the presence of Albanians in their actual territory already in ancient times in full accordance with the popular theory of an Albanian autochthony. However, a thorough investigation of the phonological history of the Latin loanwords and the Albanian toponymy reveals that they are affected by the same late sound laws. This indicates that both these lexical units have entered the Albanian language only in post-Christian times which creates a strong argument against the autochtony of the Albanians. The Latin loanwords of Albanian have thus been integrated when the ancestors of the Albanians were still dwelling in the Balkan hinterland, in some areas distant from the Via Egnatia.