Albanian is an Indo-European language, however it is far different from many of the other languages in this language family. It evolved over hundreds of years in the Balkans. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Albanian are Venetian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Latvian, and French.
- Venetian (41.0)
Venice is located across the Adriatic Sea from Albania. In the 15th century, Venice controlled territories such as Durrës and Shkodër. Venetian shares surprising similarities with Albanian. Both languages exhibit some similar vocabulary. Their common linguistic traits are most likely due to ancient cultural exchanges and trade routes. - Belarusian (39.9)
While Albanian borders a few Slavic-speaking countries, according to the data Belarusian was the most similar Slavic language, despite their geographic distance. These languages share some similar vocabulary. Such unexpected affinities hint at complex historical narratives of migration, conquest, and cultural assimilation in Europe. - Ukrainian (39.9)
Ukrainian is extremely similar to Belarusian, so it makes this list as well. While one hails from the rugged landscapes of the Balkans and the other from Eastern Europe, these countries have some similar linguistic traits. Both countries have a lot of coastline and maritime routes have played a big role in their development. - Latvian (39.5)
Latvia borders Belarus. Latvian is part of the Baltic language branch that is related to Slavic languages. Both languages exhibit subtle resemblances in their phonetics and lexicon, suggesting deep-rooted connections that transcend geographical boundaries. Through contact with neighboring Slavic languages, they have similarities. - French (39.3)
While geographically distant from Albania, French shares unexpected similarities with Albanian, particularly in its phonetic and lexical features. It is another Romance language, like Venetian on this list. French and Albanian display intriguing linguistic parallels that hint at ancient historical connections and cultural influences.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)
