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Same quotations are used by Frashëri who in one of his essays, first published in newspaper
Korrieri (December 2004) and later in his book (2005), interprets Lear within the pro-
Albanian position:
There are three opposing views among the Albanian and Greek historians. According
to the first the inhabitants of these three villages [Palasa, Dhërmi/Drimades and
Himarë/Himara] belong to Albanian nationality and Greek is their second language.
According to Hellenic writers people living in these three villages belong to Greek
nationality and Albanian is the second language. Secondly, according to the first the
Greek idiom of these three villages has penetrated them from the outside nowadays;
according to the second they have an ancient origin. Thirdly at least the first has belief
in the observation of the British writer W.M. Leake who after his visit of Himarë
villages in 1804 says: ‘The Greek language is spoken by almost all the men, and
Italian by those who have lived abroad; but the women in general know little of any
language but the Albanian’. While the second have not opposed to the Leake’s
sentence who says clearly that in those time the Greek language was not a mother
tongue (Frashëri 2005: 15, translated by Juliana Vera).
Local intellectual Kristaq Jorgji has an opposite view. In his responds to Frashëri, published
in the daily newspaper ABC (April 1, 2006a) he writes:
The phrase [of Leake] is rightly cited. And it should be taken in consideration.
This is important as Leake, in contrast to Edward Lear, knew some Albanian. In fact,
he even has published a study of an Albanian language. I would like to draw attention
to the fact that Leake stayed only one day in Himara and according to the habits of
those years, women were not shown in front of the guests. Lear writes later more
about this habit. ‘Only my asking Anastásio (Lear’s companion from Vuno KVJ) if his
wife and mother were not coming to dinner, he replied that the women never eat with
the men, but his wife Marína, would come and wait for us at supper, as by that time
she would have less ‘vergogna’ of a stranger, an uncommon sight to Khimáriote
females’. Therefore it would be hard for Lear to know what women speak. Of course it
might be possible that Leake heard the women’s conversation in the kitchen as there is
also a possibility to doubt in his saying that women spoke mainly only Albanian
[…]. One thing is clear from the reading of the Lear’s and Leake’s memories - both
Englishmen testify that the people of Himara have spoken Greek language.
But, there is one but. It should be noted that although they might be good observers,
they spent a very short time in Himara. Lear slept there only 4 nights (24, 25, 26 and
27 of October 1848 – of which three nights in Vuno and one night in Palasa); while
Leake has slept in Himara only night (on 11 September 1804). Therefore, the two
Englishmen’s testimonies should be taken in consideration with the necessary
precautions, especially if we have other reports […] (Jorgji 2006a: 5, italics original;
translated by Juliana Vera).
In the continuing part of his discussion, Jorgji refers to the Italian missionaries Nilo Borgia
and Schiro:
The third report from 1730-1735 says: ‘Himara, the province of Epirus that stretches
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