Your ancestry

[ennea]

Slovak/Tomas/Anomaly,
To my horror I realize I know nothing about Slovakians. The few things I knew as Bohemian (Smetana, Dvorak) or Czechoslovakian (Janacek, Kundera, Forman, Chytilova, Passer, Menzel, Hrebejk) are actually Czech.
Still, there’s an exception. The amazing film The Shop on the Main Street seems to be considered Slovakian.
Also, I admit that while I recognized Polish things, I always confused Hungarians and Czechoslovakians.

[Risto the Great]

Originally Posted by ennea

Also, I admit that while I recognized Polish things, I always confused Hungarians and Czechoslovakians.

What about Greeks and Macedonians/Arvanites/Vlachs etc ... can you tell the difference or are they all the same to you?

[ennea]

Originally Posted by Risto the Great

What about Greeks and Macedonians/Arvanites/Vlachs etc ... can you tell the difference or are they all the same to you?

Well, I'm not a psychic, so I can't.
I haven't met any Arvanite, as far as I know. Yet, I have met many Albanian (& Russian) immigrants. Even when their Greek becomes almost fluent, it's still recognizable as (slightly) broken with a characteristic accent.
But, there's the new generation (called second or 1 ½ generation) that is not recognizable as foreign, unless they are Black or Asians.

[Delodephius]

Ennea, I know little about Slovaks too. I'm a Lowland Slovak, we're descendants of colonists scattered over a wide area in southern Pannonia, the majority being in Vojvodina. I went to Slovakia only once. Even though our customs are similar and we speak similarly (particularly in the central highlands from where most of our ancestors came from) we have a considerably different mentality and behaviour. We picked it up from the Serbs. We are more bold and daring, know how to have a good time and relax, while the Highlanders are very uptight and generally boring. They were under a much stricter form of Communism that, well, crushed their spirit, while we prospered under Titoism, most minorities did, noteworthy being the Albanians about whom the Serbs constantly bitch about; we had plenty of privileges Serbs, Croatians, Slovenians or Macedonians didn't have, and this kinda made us very influential in post-Communist Yugoslavia. Well, as much as it could. There's only like 60.000 Slovaks here.

But times are changing. I'm leaving for Slovakia in a month or two. I'm going to apply for citizenship, which as a diaspora Slovak I can acquire almost immediately, and finally be a citizen of the European Union. There is plenty of work to be done, particularly in the East, and my near-perfect knowledge of English could open me to some profitable opportunities on the translational market. Serbia is stagnating and I'm going to waste my youth here without gaining any education (without money) or experience (there are no jobs). My hopes are Serbia is gonna join the EU soon. It won't be a miracle makeover, I mean look at Romania and Bulgaria, they're bigger dumps than Serbia is, but it's a start to becoming a decent country and not some isolationist dump full of assholes.

[Epirot]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

You should be thankful that the Turks did establish an empire, because that is the primary reason for the large expansion in numbers of the Albanians. .

Not at all. The number of Albanians decreased even more during Ottoman empire. You need just to make a little research on comparing the number of Albanians in one side, and Serbs, Greeks, Bulgarians in the other. In the beginning of XIX century, the number of Albanians outnumbered that of Serbs, and sometimes were more numerically than Greeks and Bulgarians. But in the next century the demographical structure will change drastically: Serbs, Greeks and Bulgarians increased enormously their population. How come this? Because Ottoman Empire tolerated extremely the assimilating policies of those states: the missionary priests and churches took place everywhere in the territories held by Ottomans. That's why a sizable part of Orthodox Albanians passed either as Serbian or Greek.

can you show me any document written by anybody in the world that refers to "ethnic" Albanians prior to the 19th century?

Be more specific because your question is truly undefined. Are you suggesting that Albanians prior to the 19th century had no ethnic consciousness about themselves? If you are making such allusion, then you are dead wrong because Albanians at least had a very strong ethnic bond: it was the common memory for the past. Albanians of Middle Ages considered themselves as descendants of Epirotes and Pyrrhus. The Epirotic heritage was so prevalent among Albanians, as many foreign writers were compelled to accept the very fact that Albanians trace their origin to the glorious Epirotes.

[Onur]

Originally Posted by Epirot

In the beginning of XIX century, the number of Albanians outnumbered that of Serbs, and sometimes were more numerically than Greeks and Bulgarians. But in the next century the demographical structure will change drastically: Serbs, Greeks and Bulgarians increased enormously their population. How come this? Because Ottoman Empire tolerated extremely the assimilating policies of those states: the missionary priests and churches took place everywhere in the territories held by Ottomans.

That didn't happen by the Ottoman authority`s own will. Serbs, Greeks and Bulgarians were allowed to realize that as a result of demands, blackmailing and pressures of great powers and Russia.

Are you suggesting that Albanians prior to the 19th century had no ethnic consciousness about themselves? If you are making such allusion, then you are dead wrong because Albanians at least had a very strong ethnic bond: it was the common memory for the past. Albanians of Middle Ages considered themselves as descendants of Epirotes and Pyrrhus. The Epirotic heritage was so prevalent among Albanians, as many foreign writers were compelled to accept the very fact that Albanians trace their origin to the glorious Epirotes.

Whether Albanian population has been decreased or not, you Albanians owe your current existence to your higher status inside Ottoman empire.

For centuries, Albanian pashas ruled in Macedonia, Kosovo and ofc in Albania and they were allowed to do whatever they wished for. Albanians even ruled in northern Africa and middle-east. For example, Egyptian people considers Albanian Mehmed Ali pasha as the founder of modern Egypt. Your first leaders in Albania after Balkan wars were educated and raised in Istanbul, they were pashas of Ottoman empire. So, you Albanians had these kind of opportunities and that`s why we have Albanian state now, otherwise you would end up shouting "zito ellines" like your southern kinsmen by becoming neo-hellenes or Serbian peasants like you said.

You Albanians keep cursing to us in your history books like Greeks does but for example, if we compare your situation during Ottoman era with the communist Russian yoke period, it`s vastly different. I heard that your communist dictators wasn't even allowing ordinary people to walk in the streets of Tirana center. If we think about your ruling status during Ottoman era ,in vast areas like from Cairo to Kosovo, thats quite a difference, right? So, you better get the facts and quit dreaming by saying that "our Epirotien heritage kept us strong!", like supposedly only the emotions of Albanians was the reason for your existence.

You Albanians had their own privileged status inside Ottoman empire like Greek patriarchy had and you exploited that as much as you can just like Greeks did. I`m sorry to say that but If you didn't have these opportunities, then your glorious Epirotien heritage wouldn't mean jack shit since thats the hard truth!

[Soldier of Macedon]

Originally Posted by Onur

Albanians had their own privileged status inside Ottoman empire like Greek patriarchy had and you exploited that as much as you can just like Greeks did.

This is a fact which cannot be denied.

[Droog]

Originally Posted by Onur

You Albanians had their own privileged status inside Ottoman empire

a)The Ottomans never accepted to recognize an Albanian millet, so no privileged status
b)The Albanian language was the only banned language of the empire

I rest my case.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Your privileged status came as a result of your people accepting Islam en masse, while (most) the rest of your Christians neighbours became second-class citizens. As for your language being banned, where was it banned, from use in a mosque? Was it banned when Evliya Celebi recorded a range of different Albanian terms during the 17th century? Was it banned in the villages, in family names, etc? How exactly was this 'ban' enforced?

[Epirot]

Originally Posted by Soldier of Macedon

As for your language being banned, where was it banned, from use in a mosque? Was it banned when Evliya Celebi recorded a range of different Albanian terms during the 17th century? Was it banned in the villages, in family names, etc? How exactly was this 'ban' enforced?

I think there is a huge misconception by your side. As far as I see, Droog was referring to the banning of Albanian from the official level (administrate, schools, religious institutions, etc). The Albanian usage was strictly not permited in the official life of Albania.

"At this time the Turkish Government, afraid of the rising national spirit of the Albanians, tried to suppress it by forbidding the printing and teaching of the Albanian language under heavy penalties". http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts20_1/AH1941.html