Review of the Arberesh Lexicology

Abstract

Arberesh people in their multicentury efforts in order to keep their national identity, have tried not to be absorbed into their language, cultural and religious assimilation in the Italian speaking environment. Our study relates to the world of these Arberesh people and without a doubt their connection in one way or the other, direct or indirect, with the world of overseas, the motherland. Even though centuries away, the Arberesh people have never denied their heritage, language, habits, customs and psychology. In various libraries in and out the Arberesh environment, in and out of Italy (like Denmark) there are manuscripts of dictionaries developed from Arberesh who were directly linked to the Arberesh or Albanian Word. In these dictionaries are registered a very valuable wealth taken orally from the people themselves (in Arberesh speaking environments), from the Arberesh literature, in publications, from the publications in Albania or any other lexicographic published works. The lexicographic Arberesh tradition is rich and it has an important place in the overall national Albanian lexicography. This tradition comes with published and unpublished dictionaries. According to the information that comes from the researchers F. Altimari, M. Mandala, academic publishing etc., that are more than 20. It is a fact that today is boing done a great work to publish the works of manuscripts. The researcher Gezim Gurga in the preface of the critical publishing Albanian-Italian dictionary of Da Leçe (Francesco Maria Da Lecce Dittionario italiano - Albanese, 1702) lets us know that the publishing is a part of the University of Palermo, “that foresees, among others, the critical publishing of all the works of the manuscripts of the Sicily Arberesh, such as The Albanian-Italian Dictionary and the Etymologic Dictionary, designed by Nikollë Keta, various manuscripts of Albanian-Italian and Italian Albanian dictionaries of Dara family etc.”. The designed dictionaries of the spoken Arberesh language, the published and unpublished ones may be grouped typologically and chronologically. The model of a scientific adduction and a very informative presentation is given by Prof. Mandala in his work “Philological studies for the romantic Arberesh literature”.