Shqiptar

Shqip(ë)tar (plural: Shqiptarët; Gheg Albanian: Shqyptar), is an Albanian language ethnonym (endonym), by which Albanians call themselves. They call their country Shqipëria (Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia). During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbëria (Gheg:Arbënia) and referred to themselves as Arbëresh (Gheg:Arbënesh) while known through derivative terms by neighbouring peoples as Arbanasi, Arbanenses / Albaneses, Arvanites (Arbanites), Arnaut, Arbineş and so on. At the end of 17th and beginning of the early 18th centuries, the placename Shqipëria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptarë gradually replaced Arbëria and Arbëreshë amongst Albanian speakers. This was due to socio-political, cultural, economic and religious complexities that Albanians experienced during the Ottoman era. However the old endonym Arbënesh / Arbëresh, didn't go out of usage as it was still retained by the Albanian communities which had lost contact with Albania at the time in which the change of the nomination happened, namely the Arbëreshë of Italy, the Arvanites of Greece as well as Arbanasi in Croatia.

The theories about the etymology of the ethnic name Shqiptar:

Skipetar/s is a historical rendering or exonym of the term Shqiptar by some Western European authors in use from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

The term Šiptar used in Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian (Cyrillic: Шиптар) is denoted in an offensive manner and it is also considered derogatory by Albanians when used by South Slavic peoples, due to its negative connotations. The official term for Albanians in South Slavic languages is Albanac (plural: Albanci).

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