Arbëresh is an Indo-European, Albanian language with an estimated 100,000 speakers. However, the exact number is unclear: although Arbëresh is a part of the Albanian language family, a majority of Arbëresh live in Italy, where the national census does not collect data on minoritized languages. During the 16th century there was a regular flow of people emigrating from Morea (present-day Peloponnese in Greece) to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (present-day Southern Italy), many taking up work as mercenaries for the Italian armies. These troops reinforced defenses in southern Italy, establishing self-contained communities, which provided opportunity for the Arbëresh language and culture to flourish. Despite an Arbëresh cultural and artistic revival in the 19th century, emigration from southern Italy, particularly to the Americas, caused the total depopulation of approximately half of the Arbëresh villages.
Since the 1980s, there has been a growing revitalization movement within the Arbëresh language community: Martin and his team are furthering that work by creating learning tools and resources for people of all ages. During this project, they are designing and producing a deck of cards of everyday vocabulary in Arbëresh (with Italian on the back), with corresponding descriptions and pictures. These cards can be used to match up vocabulary and descriptions. The cards will have pictures, text, and a QR code on them. They will be distributed in person and will also be added to Wikimeida to encourage access.