Gjuhësi Ballkanike

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Chapter IV
Some Phonetic Correspondences
It has been generally admitted that such correspondences in the Balkan languages are limited.
Such an opinion has been, however, conditioned by the comprehensible difficulties in this field
of studies.(1). The first scholar who included the presence of the vowel ∂ among the Balkan
phenomena, was Miklosich. Later on some other phenomena were also included.(2). The first
effort for a full comparative study of the phonetic systems of the Balkan languages was made by
Havranek, who paid a particular attention to the expiratory accent and to the absence of the
vowel quantitavive opposition as well as to the presence of the vowel ∂ in the Balkan languages.
Havranek's results will be further discussed. (3-4). Even in the recent balkanologic studies the
phonetic problems have occupied a relatively minor place.(5).
The predominance of the expiratory accent in the Balkan languages is in full conformity with a
relatively ancient tendency of the I.E. languages in general. Among the Balkan languages such a
tendency can be better attested in New Greek, as compared to the Ancient Greek.(6). Rumanian
should have inherited its expiratory accent from Latin. But one should take into account that the
Rumanian accentuation has undergone an evident evolution, as in this language, differently
from Latin, the accent may fall on the last syllable, too.(7). The accentuation in Bulgarian and
Eastern Macedonian has generally conserved the usual Slavish regularities. But Western
Macedonian has undergone an evident evolution by establishing a rather fixed accent, which
falls usually on the ante-penultimate syllable.(8). In Albanian, too, the accentuation has
undergone an evident evolution by having been fixed since early on a certain syllable. It falls
usually upon the penultimate syllable of the theme by nouns and upon the last one by verbs.(9).
Thus, Albanian and Western Macedonian have developed a most important innovation in wordstressing.
Greek and Rumanian, too, have had so evident innovations.(10).
Regarding the elimination of the opposition between long and short vowels each Balkan
language has followed ist own way (see the Albanian version). (11). As far as Albanian is
concerned, it is to be admitted that the ancient I.E. opposition between long and short vowels
has diasappeared since ancient times. The long vowels of the attested Albanian are due to
various new factors (see the Albanian version). (12).
As a typical Balkan phonetic phenomenon has been considered the presence of the vowel ∂ in
Albanian, Rumanian and Bulgarian. Such a phenomenon has been attributed to the substratum
by some linguists, but some others have rejected such a hypothesis. (13). The vowel in question
appears in Rumanian as Ј and о (casЈ, batrоn); Ј has appeared during the V-VIII centuries,
whereas о has appeared after the XVI century. (14).
The vowel ë (=∂), brought about in unstressed syllables, is attested in all Albanian dialects; its
appearance should have taken place before the VIII century. In some cases the unstressed ë has
disappeared. (15). A similar vowel has appeared in stressed syllables before a nasal consonant
only in the southern dialect. Most probably, it is a later phenomenon in comparison with the
unstressed ë, but at any rate it should have appeared prior to the penetration of Slavish
loanwords. (16-17). A similar vowel is encountered in Bulgarian, too, in unstressed syllables.
Such a vowel is attested since the XIII century. (18).
Some linguists have treated as a balkanism also the rhotacism in the southern dialect of
Albanian and in Rumanian. In both cases it is, most probably, a parallel development. (19-20).
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