Toskërishte · Standard Albanian basis
The southern Albanian dialect group, centred on Tirana and the south. The basis of the modern Albanian literary standard codified in 1972.
Gheg Albanian
Also known as: Gegërishte
The northern Albanian dialect group, spoken across northern Albania, Kosovo, and parts of North Macedonia and Montenegro. Distinguished by nasal vowels and the retention of older Albanian features.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Gheg Albanian?
Gheg Albanian is a dialect of the Albanian language.
Where is Gheg Albanian spoken?
Gheg Albanian is primarily spoken in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia.
Which region is Gheg Albanian associated with?
Gheg Albanian is part of the Europe region on DialectAtlas.
Is Gheg Albanian known by other names?
Yes — Gheg Albanian is also referred to as Gegërishte.
What are the other dialects of Albanian?
Albanian also includes Tosk Albanian, Arbëresh. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Albanian dialects
See on the atlas →Italo-Albanian
The Albanian variety of the Arbëreshë communities of southern Italy, descended from 15th-century settlers fleeing the Ottoman conquest. A medieval Tosk Albanian preserved through five centuries of relative isolation.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →77 km away
A Balkan Romani variety spoken widely across North Macedonia, Kosovo, southern Serbia, and Bulgaria.
78 km away
The Skopje-based standard of Macedonian, codified after the Second World War. Closely related to Bulgarian; written in Cyrillic with several letters unique to Macedonian.
158 km away
The most recently codified BCMS national standard, declared official in Montenegro in 2007. Distinguished from Serbian by the recognition of two additional Montenegrin-specific letters and a number of lexical preferences.
174 km away
The Western Macedonian dialect group around Lake Ohrid and Prespa. Provided much of the structural basis for the modern literary standard, especially in stress placement and verb morphology.
177 km away
The Turkish varieties of the Balkans, surviving from Ottoman-era settlement. Spoken across pockets of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and northern Greece.
177 km away
The Sofia-based standard of Bulgarian. A South Slavic language with one of the most analytical grammars in the family, having lost most case marking in favour of articles and prepositions.