Cultura e identità nella lingua albanese

In this contribution we provide an overview of the linguistic history of the Albanian people taking both linguistic and social-cultural aspects into account. The historical and descriptive synthesis of Albanian linguistics will provide the background for understanding the competition between the Gheg and Tosk traditions, the old and culturally different Albanian minorities in Italy and Greece, and the role of linguistic standardization imposed by the communist totalitarian regime. As the title suggests, people’s culture and identity must also be looked for in the vicissitudes of their linguistic heritage and its changes and reshaping in connection with social processes. Our aim is to explore these factors in the evolution of the Albanian language and its use in communication.