Sorin Paliga, Romanian Slavicist & historical linguist:

"As the Bulgarian thracologists have long proved, Albanian is a Neo-Thracian idiom with a consistent set of Romance elements, the best proof that a certain, limited acculturation occurred AFTER the 6th c. C.E.

during the period of the great migrations, when a more northern Thracian group, which survived Romanisation, shifted to the former Illyria and, together with the local Romanised Illyrians, contributed to the emergence of a new ethnic group, the Albanians."

Now I am interested to see the Bulgarian papers on this.

@futurasapiens @ArcGreek @AlbanologyFacts @Al_Stoyanov

On the other hand Paliga is in the camp that believes anyway that there is not much difference to start with btwn Thracian & Illyrian languages...

explained in more detail here. It is basicaly a more advanced Carpian hypothesis of Albanian origin. very interesting though & woth considering.

@Purpura57912934 may be interested in this too: https://www.academia.edu/28695145/The_Albanian_Ethnogenesis_an_Enigma_A_brief_answer_to_Genc_Lafe