Language Lessons #4

Saw this as I was passing a shop in Koplik yesterday.

Although most shops use the words "hapur" (open) and "Mbyllur" (closed) this shopkeeper uses a different word. I take it that it means "i çelur" which means open...but the shopkeeper has written it in Shkodrane "çilun".

"Hajde" means "lets go" or "come on" in Serbian or Croat.In this instance it would mean "come" or "welcome".

Language Lessons#2

“të qaj” = “to cry, to weep, to shed tears”

This is an interesting word.

Within Shkodër you have 2 pronounciations of this same word.
I have been told that the 2 communities – Catholic and Islamic pronounce the word in a different way.

The muslims pronounce it with a “ch” sound at the beginning.
“chay, “ch” as in “chair”,“ay” is pronounced the same way as we say ”eye” in English.
The Catholics pronounce it with a “k” sound at the beginning.
“keeay” “ k” as in “kick”,“ee” as in “seen”, “ay” again the same as “eye”.
(I believe the “k” pronounciation is the proper (gjuhe letrare) way of pronouncing in Albanian)

Again you can see the different cultures in the same town just in one word.
Interestingly enough one of our sons pronounces it with the “k” sound at the beginning, even although my wife and I pronounce it with the “ch” sound.
I think he must have picked it up off his nursery school teachers.

Please feel free to correct my pronunciations…it’s all a learning process for me.

P.s to understand the comments better. Here is a map showing the split between Gheg and Tosk speakers. Although there is a better map here.


I believe the official Albanian language is Tosk, but the majority of people from Shkoder speak the "Gheg" dialect.
My only question would be this...
If the 2 different pronounciations are simply "Gheg" and "Tosk", then in respect of the word "qaj" why have we so many Shkodrans speaking "Tosk"?

Language Lessons

Words we use in Shkodër

Kërtollë (Shkodër) = Patatë (Shqip/Albanian)

Meaning:
1) potato
2) term used to describe someone silly.
e.g. my brother-in-law calls one of my sons “ Eh kërtolla e dajës!”

It is of course important for a foreigner(like me) to understand that “kërtollë” is not Albanian, but is in fact Shkodrane.

So when I went to Tirana and asked for a plate of chips(“kërtollat të fergume”), the poor waitress just looked at me. I asked twice but I got no response. So my Albanian friend, who was with me from Shkodër said it very slowly...”Një pjatë me kërtollat të fërgume”...of course it was then he realise he should be saying “ Patate të shkuquar”

Again “fergume” = “të shkuquar”. It is again Shkodrane.

Language lesson over for today!