{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.albanian","code":"thing-q8748","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q8748/","name":"Albanian","alternateNames":["Arbëresh","Tosk","Gheg","Vaccarizzo Albanian","Lab Albanian","Cham Albanian","Arvanitic","Istrian Albanian","Northeastern Gheg","Upper Reka Albanian dialect"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An Indo-European language forming its own branch, spoken by about 7.5 million people in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy and the diaspora, with two main dialects, Gheg in the north and Tosk in the south, on which the standard is based, and varieties such as Lab and Cham Albanian in the south and the Arberesh of southern Italy including Vaccarizzo Albanian, and Arvanitika in Greece; Albanian has a distinctive grammar with cases, definite suffixes and admirative mood, and was first attested in writing in the fifteenth century.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the Albanian language and its dialects, relay its status, structure and history from linguistic and official sources, describe diaspora varieties, and route to entries for specific dialects.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Own Indo-European branch","Gheg and Tosk split","Tosk-based standard","Diaspora varieties"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What Albanian is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and classification.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is Albanian, and why does it form its own Indo-European branch?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the language, a dialect or a diaspora variety?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"dialects","name":"Dialects","description":"Dialects.","findings":[{"id":"dialects-finding","name":"Dialects","description":"Dialects.","questions":[{"text":"How do Gheg and Tosk differ, and what are Lab, Cham, Arberesh, Vaccarizzo Albanian and Arvanitika?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific dialect?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"structure","name":"Structure","description":"Grammar and writing.","layers":[{"id":"grammar","name":"Grammar","description":"Grammar.","findings":[{"id":"grammar-finding","name":"Grammar","description":"Grammar.","questions":[{"text":"What are the main features of Albanian phonology and grammar, including cases, definite suffixes and the admirative?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"writing","name":"Writing","description":"Alphabet and standard.","findings":[{"id":"writing-finding","name":"Writing","description":"Writing.","questions":[{"text":"How did the alphabet of 1908 and the standard of 1972 come about?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Albanian alphabet?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Status and use.","layers":[{"id":"status","name":"Status","description":"Official status.","findings":[{"id":"status-finding","name":"Status","description":"Status.","questions":[{"text":"What status does Albanian hold in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Italy and Greece?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"learning","name":"Learning","description":"Learning.","findings":[{"id":"learning-finding","name":"Learning","description":"Learning.","questions":[{"text":"How can learners approach Albanian, and what resources exist?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which entry fits language learning?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and literature.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did Albanian develop, what are the theories of its origin, and how did contact shape it, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the origin of the Albanians?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"literature","name":"Literature","description":"Literature.","findings":[{"id":"literature-finding","name":"Literature","description":"Literature.","questions":[{"text":"What are the major works of Albanian literature, from Buzuku to Kadare?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Albanian literature?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the Albanian language, its dialects and its place in the Indo-European family.","Translate to and from standard Albanian, noting where a text is in Gheg, Arberesh or Arvanitika.","Give speaker numbers with source and date."],"mustNot":["Present one theory of Albanian origins as settled.","Use the language to support nationalist claims against neighbouring peoples.","Treat dialects or minority varieties as incorrect Albanian.","Use machine translation alone for legal or medical documents."],"requiresHuman":["Translating official documents or testimony."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Language is tied to identity and has been a subject of political conflict in the Balkans.","Minority varieties such as Arberesh and Arvanitika are endangered."],"affectedParties":["Albanian speakers","Speakers of endangered varieties","People relying on translation"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the language; academies and education authorities set the standard.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q12626698","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Albanian","type":"related","note":"in registry terms, the language branch"},{"target":"Indo-European languages","type":"related","note":"as its own branch"},{"target":"Albania","type":"related","note":"and Kosovo"},{"target":"Albanian alphabet","type":"related","note":"a Latin-based alphabet"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.albanian","Wikidata: Q8748 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8748)","ISO 639-1: sq","ISO 639-3: sqi macrolanguage"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["speakers: about 7.5 million - estimates","first written attestation: 1462 year - baptismal formula","Congress of Manastir alphabet: 1908 year"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Indo-European language of its own branch","Gheg and Tosk dialects; Lab, Cham, Arberesh and Vaccarizzo Albanian; Arvanitika","Albanian is not Slavic, Greek or Romance; Illyrian is a hypothesised ancestor","Not a visible object; written in the Latin alphabet since 1908."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the language and dialects","relay status and structure","relay history","route to specific dialects"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Conflating dialects with the standard","Presenting origin theories as settled","Stale speaker counts"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Official language laws of Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia","1972 Orthographic Congress standard","Minority language protections in Italy and elsewhere"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; a language.","Gheg Albanian","Tosk Albanian including Lab and Cham varieties","standard Albanian","Arberesh of Italy including Vaccarizzo Albanian","Arvanitika of Greece","Albanian in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro","diaspora Albanian"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q8748: Albanian","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8748","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Albanian language","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_language","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should Gheg and Tosk be separate primary entries?","How should linguistic references be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming dialects and diaspora varieties; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q8748/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q8748/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T03:39:09Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:02+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}