Gjuhësi Ballkanike

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Chapter VI
The Postposition of the Definite Article
The postposition of the definite article in Albanian, Rumanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian has
been rightfully considered as a balkanism, although such a phenomenon is encountered also in
other languages out of the Balkans.(1). In all the Balkan languages, as elsewhere, the definite
article owes its origin to the evolution of the respective demonstrative pronoun. Western
Macedonian has devoloped a series of three different definite article forms.(2). The postposition
of the definite article in the Balkan languages has since early attracted the attention of numerous
linguists.(3). Their opinions regarding the source of this Balkan phenomenon may be summed
up as follows: a) Balkan substratum; b) vulgar Latin; c) Albanian language; d) Slavonic
influence; e) Greek influence; f) an independent development.(4).
In such circumstances, it is rather difficult to reach a common conclusion. At any rate, the
Slavonic and Greek sources are to be excluded, if one takes into account that in Bulgarian and
Macedonian the postpositive article has not appeared earlier than the thirteenth century, whereas
Greek has developed only a prepositive article.(6-7). In Rumanian the definite article should
have appeared before the tenth century.(8). In Albanian, too, the postpositive article should have
appeared at a relatively ancient period, at least before the VII-VIII centuries.(9).
According to Reichenkron (: 1963,99 s.), the postposition of the definite article in the Balkan
languages is due to the fact that they have been characterized by a descendent curve, as in
eastern Romanian, whereas in western Romanian the curve was an ascendent one. But he fails
to explain the reason of such a difference in eastrn Romanian. In such a case the influence of the
substratum could hardly be excluded.(9).
In Bulgarian (and Macedonian) the appearance of the postpositive article might be explained as
an internal development, but certainly under the influence of the substratum as well as of the
neighbouring languages.(10).
The hypothesis regarding the Balkan vulgar Latin as the source of the postpositive article in the
Balkan languages is much disputable. At least, this hypothesis is not at all plausible as far as
Albanian is concerned,if one takes into account that such an article in Albanian has appeared
earlier than in Rumanian.(11). Nor can one agree to Georgiev's hypothesis that the appearance
of the postpositive article in the Balkan languages is due to the Greek influence through the
intermedium of Bulgarian, as the Bulgarian article is of a more recent origin than that of
Albanian and Rumanian.(12).
The substratum hypothesis, too, cannot be invoked in this case, being the ancient Balkan
languages quite unknown to us. But if one were to admit such a hypothesis, the following
question would naturally arise: In which of the Balkan languages has appeared such a
phenomenon at first?(13).
It is also not plausible to uphold the possibility of an Albanian influence upon Rumanian in
developing its postpositive article, as this phenomenon in that language has appeared after the
seventh century, namely after the interruption of the direct contacts between the ancestors of the
Albanians and those of the Rumanians. The postposition of the definite article, at least, in these
two languages should be viewed in straight connection with their ancient tendecy to place the
“bound” determinatives after the noun (see XI/19), as well as with a general ancient tendency of
the I.E. languages not to begin the sentence with an unstressed word. (14) The very process of
creating a definite article in these both languages should be viewed also in straight connection
with a relatively ancient tendecy of numerous I.E. languages to create the opposition of
definiteness ~ indefiniteness by the nouns. (15). It should also be pointed out that the anaphoric
demonstrative, which gave birth to the definite article, has been a “bound” determinative. (16).
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