From April onwards, Albanian language courses on offer at beginner and advanced level

There are good reasons for adding Albanian to the list of the languages we teach as part of our programmes in Southeast European Studies in Regensburg: there are six million speakers of Albanian spread across several Balkan states (Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia), and another 1,5 million living in the diaspora.

Albanian-inhabited regions are at the centre of numerous global entanglements. Albania and Kosovo are, for example, the only countries with a majority Muslim population in the region (apart from Turkey). They have close historical connections to Turkey (which emerged during the Ottoman period) and China (during communism), also having a large diaspora across the globe (including Switzerland and Germany). The spread of the Albanian population across several Balkan states and the diaspora play an important role for the stability of the region and processes of European integration. Linguistically, the Albanian language represents a separate branch within the Indo-European language family and is currently understudied in Germany. Moreover, Albanian has a unique language contact profile, surrounded by several Slavic and Romance languages, Greek and Turkish.

When doing Southeast European Studies or carrying out research in this field, knowledge of the languages and acquisition of advanced language skills is a crucial precondition, starting best at the BA and MA levels. Even if you are not interested in doing research, you can benefit by learning this very special Balkan language, if only to help you to communicate if you are planning a beach vacation at the Adriatic coast in Sarandë, if you want to hike in the Parku Kombëtar i Dajtit, or intend to explore the youngest European nation-state of Kosova on your own. The courses at the advanced level are primarily catering for Albanian heritage speakers.

Mirë se vini!