The Cham Albanian dialect is the dialect of the Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 spoken by the Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...

, an ethnic Albanian minority in the Epirus

Epirus (periphery)

Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...

 region of northwestern Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

.

Classification

The Cham dialect is part of the Tosk Albanian dialect

Tosk Albanian

Tosk is the southern dialect of the Albanian language. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.- Tosks :...

.The Cham dialect is the second-southernmost dialect of the Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

, the other being Arvanitika

Arvanitika

Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...

, which is also part of Tosk Albanian

Tosk Albanian

Tosk is the southern dialect of the Albanian language. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.- Tosks :...

. As such, Arvanitika

Arvanitika

Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...

 and Cham dialect retain a number of common features.

Features

Like Arvanitika

Arvanitika

Arvanitika also known Arvanitic is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece...

 in southern Greece and Arbëresh

Arbëresh language

Arbëreshë, also known as Arbërisht, is an ethnolect spoken by the Arbëreshë, the group of Albanian-speaking minorities in Italy.-Classification:...

 in Italy, the Cham dialect retains some conservative features of Albanian, such as the old consonant clusters /kl/, /gl/, which in standard Albanian are q and gj, and retention of /l/ instead of /j/.

Cham Albanian	Standard Albanian	Tosk Albanian	Arvanitika	Arberesh	English
Kljumësht	Qumësht	Qumësht	Kljumsht	Klumsht	Milk
Gluhë	Gjuhë	Gjuhë/Guhë	Gljuhë	Gluhë	Language/Tongue
Gola	Goja	Goja	Golja	Gojë	Mouth

Written sources

The first Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

-Albanian

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 dictionary was written by Markos Botsaris

Markos Botsaris

Markos Botsaris was a Souliote captain and a hero of the War of Greek Independence. Markos Botsaris is among the most revered national heroes in Greece.-Early life:...

 (in Albanian: Marko Boçari), which contains the first features of the Cham dialect. Based on this evidences, scholars have agreed that the Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 spoken by Souliotes

Souliotes

Souliotes were a warlike community from the area of Souli, in Greece, who became famous across Greece for their resistance against the local Ottoman Pashalik of Yanina ruled by the Muslim Albanian Ali Pasha...

 was the a subbranch of the cham dialect. During the 19th century, Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...

, started creating bejte

Bejte

Bejtexhinj , is a genre of literature created in Albania in the 18th century that prevailed in different Albanian cities, Kosovo, and other religious centers....

s, which was a new kind of poems, mainly in Southern Albania. The most well-known bejtexhi was Muhamet Kyçyku (Çami)

Muhamet Kyçyku (Çami)

Muhamet Kyçyku , born in Konispol, Ottoman Empire, is one of the most known Albanian bejtexhinjs and is considered as the first poet of the Albanian National Renaissance.-Biography:...

, born in Konispol

Konispol

Konispol is the southernmost town in Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Albanian-Greek border. The municipality consists of the town Konispol and the village Çiflik.The town's main interests are agriculture and viticulture...

. He is the only poet in Albania that had written in the Cham dialect and, as it seems, was the first Albanian

Albanians

Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...

author to have written longer poetry.