DIALECTAL AND BALKAN INTERFERENCE IN THE PRESERVATION AND LOSS OF THE NEUTER GENDER IN ALBANIAN LANGUAGE
Olger BRAME
Abstract
This study examines the historical evolution of the neuter gender in Albanian through a comparative analysis of two important sources: Karl Reinhold’s Pelasgian Nights and Thimi Mitko’s Albanian–Greek, Greek–Albanian Dictionary. The aim of the research is to identify the degree of preservation and the processes of disintegration of the neuter gender within the Albanian grammatical system. The analysis focuses on three groups of nouns: non-derived neuter nouns, neuter nouns derived from adjectives, and neuter nouns derived from verbs.
The results show that Reinhold’s material reflects a conservative stage of the gender system, where the neuter category appears widely preserved, especially in verbal nouns. In contrast, the lexicographic material of Thimi Mitko demonstrates a more advanced stage of disintegration, characterised by fluctuations and the gradual integration of neuter nouns into masculine and feminine categories.
The comparison between the two sources highlights different trajectories in the historical development of the Albanian gender system and demonstrates the influence of dialectal factors and Balkan language contact in the gradual reduction of the neuter gender.
Pages: 269 - 276