| Tosk | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Albania, Kosovo[a] , Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, USA |
| Native speakers | 3.0 million (1989) |
| Language family |
Indo-European
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | als |
| Linguasphere | 55-AAA-aca to 55-AAA-ace |
Tosk is the southern dialect of the Albanian language. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern dialect) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.
Contents |
Tosk may also refer to the Tosk-speaking Albanian population of southern Albania, subgroups of which include the Myzeqars of Myzeqe, Labs of Labëria and Chams of Çamëria. The Arvanites of Greece and Arbëreshë of Italy are descendants of Tosk-speaking settlers, as are the original inhabitants of Mandritsa in Bulgaria.
Tosk, in its narrowest sense, may be applied to the people of Toskëria, the region to the north of the Vjosë river and south of the Shkumbin river, in the territory of Fier County. However, the name Toskëria itself is often used to name entire Tosk-speaking parts of Albania, in contrast to northern Gegëria.
Notes:
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Its independence is recognised by 86 UN member states. |
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