The Balkans and the Balkans

From: Daut Dauti

The word 'balcony' is in use in almost all European languages. This word is spread from the Italian (balcone) which means 'scaffolding'. But, linguists have concluded that in Italian this word came from German, while in this language it entered from the old English 'balca'. In the German or English language, the word 'balcony' has had the meaning of the beams that protrude from the wall of the building or the flat top of the hill. So, the balcony is a high place in nature and in the building taken out of the wall (of the house) where people go out to rest or look around.

The word 'Balkan' is also used in all languages, but it has nothing to do with the balcony even though it differs by only one letter. This word originates from the Ottoman language and was used by Ottoman tour guides and soldiers to describe the mountain ranges that existed from the south of Bulgaria to the Danube in the north.

Today the word 'Balkan' is a term that refers to the southeastern peninsula of the continent of Europe. Until the end of the century XIX when this word was mentioned and when its geographical meaning was explained, Albania and Montenegro were not part of it. But, today the Balkan countries are considered all the countries of the former Yugoslavia (with the exception of Slovenia), Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece.

However, in the functional sense of the word, the Balkans and the balcony have one thing in common: they are both vacation spots. The Balkans have always been the antechamber of the East and the West. In this respect, the Balkans has been the balcony of the armies of the West when they moved to penetrate the East and vice versa. So, the Balkans has been a 'rest room'. It was like those extra rooms that are attached to the house for some use, but are not considered part of the original plan of the house. Balka(o)n account. /Telegraph/