Language history

The Epirotes and Macedonians were not Greek people 

-First part-

In 376 BC, Epirus surrendered to Cassander, king of Macedonia, but only three years after the Epirotes made a revolt and defeated him. Despite the many setbacks it suffered the Epirotes in those years, in the third century BC we see the emergence of a great personality Epirus: that of Pyrrhus. He, before going down in Italy, fought against the Macedonians and the Greeks that bordered their status. On this occasion, his soldiers, amazed at the speed that showed in fighting their leader, told him that it seemed to be an eagle. Pirro said to them that this was true, but added that their spears were served by the wings to take flight.

Plutarch, relating this anecdote in his Life of Pyrrhus, he would never have imagined that it is precisely this story that the Epirotes and all those who today call themselves Albanians are the origin of the term Shqiptar (Albanian).

Plutarch, who did not know the Pelasgian language (which was considered since the time of Herodotus a barbaric language), and that she had not seen near Epirus and its people, of course, could not give this etymological explanation, which we consider to leave philologists and scholars. Shqype means eagle (Shqiponja) in Albania. Shqypëri or Shqypëni (Albania in Albanian language) means: sell shqiponjës (the land of eagles). Shqyptar (Albanian) is equal to the bir shqiponjës (son of the eagle).

This fact, which has escaped both the ancient historians and both modern philologists, deserves the attention of scholars, because it represents incontrovertible evidence - for those of us who defend the thesis that the Epirotes were a different population from the Hellenic - they they had their own language, the language of the ancient Pelasgians. A language that the Greeks did not understand, and we can say with certainty to be the same language that is spoken today in Epirus, Macedonia, Illyricum and in some islands of the Archipelago, as well as in the mountains of Attica. The same language is now called arbëreshe or shqiptare (Albanian). With the intention of providing a secure element to philology to evaluate the importance of this article, we will say that the names Epirus, Macedonia, Albania, etc., are completely unknown to the Albanians, in their own language these words do not exist *. They themselves recognize as original Shqiptar (Albanian), and do not think at all that their country has a different name than what they seek, namely Shypëri or Shqypëni (Albania). The names of Epirus and Macedonia are of foreign origin, Greek, instead Albania is a modern name that Europeans gave the country the shqyptarëve (Albanians), in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. But the Albanians do not know what they are Epirus, Macedonia and Albania: it is unfamiliar names and meaningless in their language. Therefore, starting from Shkodra and to the Bay of Preveza, all the land between these two geographical points, and the sea front, are identified with the name of Shqypëri (Albania), a country that belongs to the Albanians, who have nothing in common with the Greeks. If you try to stop a farmer on the street and ask: Where are you from? He will reply: Jam Shqiptar (Albanian I). This response will be given without a doubt is by the people and by the people of the North and the South of Albania, Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox are. If you hear talk of Epirus or Albania, they would not understand and maybe you feel offended, believing himself to be insulted in some foreign language.