Paul_Sengupta wrote:When I was in Tirana a couple of years ago, I hardly saw anyone who couldn't speak fluent English.
.. as I, too, had found in visitor-facing milieux the previous year, in Tirane at least. Elsewhere, and among older people and those not normally dealing with foreign visitors, it was less so. In any case, it was sometimes difficult to persuade people that I really wanted to practise my (by then rusty) Albanian (or, in the South of Albania, Greek
[1]).
[1] <linguist nerd continued drift
>
Greek is an official language in the South, with education in the medium available up to degree level. This is very different to how the analogous Albanian-speaking minority in the adjacent parts of Northern Greece are treated by that government; a source of considerable resentment. Despite the greater privileges in Albania, though, I did see bilingual placename and other official roadsigns with the Albanian names and words graffiti-d over.
Western [now 'North'] Macedonia is analogous. Albanian is an official language in the adjacent border areas, but some bilingual roadside signs had the Macedonian graffiti-d over. In Southern [North] Macedonia abutting Greece, there are the equivalent issues, with the same resentments.
<factual and I hope acceptable further drift into edge of politics
; Mods please edit out if you wish >
Despite the 'settlement' of the bilateral country name dispute, Greece vetoed the accession of Albania and Macedonia to the EU, for which both are clearly on normal terms eligible, and of Macedonia to NATO; of latter, however, Albania is already a member. </>
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(mere guide at) Jet Age Museum, Gloucestershire Airport
http://www.jetagemuseum.org/TripAdvisor Excellence Award 2015
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction ... gland.html