Славянский мир в третьем тысячелетии (Dec 2023)
Investigating the Region of Metohija in Kosovo through an Interactive Digital Ethnolinguistic Atlas
Abstract
The article advocates for the imperative need to compile an interactive digital ethnolinguistic atlas of the Metohija region in Kosovo (Alb. Rrafshi i Dikagjinit, "Dukagjin Plain"). Over the course of two millennia, this area has been a unique arena for interaction among diverse ethnic and linguistic groups, including paleo-Balkan tribes, Romans, Albanians, Balkan Romance speakers, South Slavs, Rumelian and Anatolian Turks, as well as Roma (Romani, Ashkali, and "Egyptians"), among others. Remarkably, the languages and cultures of this region are still studied independently, often in isolation from one another. The formation of a comprehensive Russian scientific discourse on a range of Metohija ethnolinguistic issues is deemed a crucial task within Balkan studies. The term "ethnolinguistic," in line with the overarching synthesizing and aggregating approach of Balkan linguistics, is proposed to be employed in both its accepted meanings in Russian academia – 'ethnolinguistic' (e.g., ethnolinguistic groups of people) and 'investigating language in relation to culture' (e.g., Moscow Ethnolinguistic School). The article raises the question of the specificity of the linguistic, ethnolinguistic, and cultural-anthropological landscape of Metohija against the backdrop of the broader Balkan context. It queries whether, due to centuries of close contacts between its ethnolinguistic groups, a linguistic and cultural union has evolved on this territory. To address this issue, an areal study is proposed, investigating the linguistic, dialectal, and cultural-anthropological micro-differentiation of all languages and cultures within the region in relation to local ethnic and social processes, focusing on interethnic, social, interfaith, cultural, and linguistic interactions. The proposed atlas program includes ethnolinguistic and sociolinguistic inquiries, covering ethnic self-identification, migrations, linguistic aspects of marital strategies, etc. Subsequently, it encompasses questions reflecting all levels of language structure across the known Metohija territorial varieties and social dialects. Additionally, it addresses questions of ethnolinguistics in the traditional sense within Russian scientific understanding. The atlas aims to provide insights into the reasons, processes, and mechanisms behind the formation of linguistic and cultural unions or the hindrance of such convergent processes in specific micro-areas of the Balkan Peninsula.
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