Akademiku Shaban Demiraj – dijetar i shquar dhe me ndikim të gjerë për zhvillimin e gjuhësisë shqiptare
The Academician Shaban Demiraj – A Well-Known Scholar With a Great Impact on the Albanian Linguistics Development

Summary/Abstract: Shaban Demiraj (1920- 2014) is one of the most well- known Albanian linguists. He is an author of a series of works from different areas of the Albanian linguistics. Demiraj was for a long time professor in the University of Tirana and the chief of the Department of the Albanian Language for 27 years (1962- 1989). His activity, as a university professor from 1955, in the first period was focused mainly on the morphology of ntemporary Albanian. His textbook about the Albanian morphology was in use for about two decades in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia and brought forth important theoretical innovations concerning the explanation and the definition of the grammatical concepts and categories by bringing forward the characteristic aspects of the grammatical structures of the Albanian language, and thus setting aside several viewpoints borrowed from other languages. Besides, successful efforts were made in this text to better define the morphological norm of the literary Albanian, which was on the way of being crystallized in those years. The main domain of Demiraj’s activity is historical grammar of the Albanian language. After a long series of contributions on specific aspects, he wrote the synthetic work “Gramatikë historike e gjuhës shqipe” (Historical Grammar of the Albanian Language) (1986, 1166 p.), which has been highly appreciated regarding its method, its broad vision, the richness of the arguments and the personal achievements of the author. In this work, the continuity of the grammatical evolution of the Albanian language is followed and explained from its beginning up to nowadays, the linguistic and extralinguistic reasons for the loss of some inherited grammatical features and the appearance of new ones are investigated, and the evolution trends of the Albanian grammatical structure both as an Indo- European and Balkan languages are investigated. The multiple observations and the rich material collected systematically by Prof. Demiraj as a result of his research in the area of the historical grammar produced several important works, such as “Gjuha shqipe dhe historia e saj” (Albanian Language and his History) (1988; 2nd ed. 2013; an Italian version was published by the University of Calabria in 1997), “Fonologjia historike e gjuhës shqipe” (Historical Phonology of Albanian) (1996), “Gjuhësi ballkanike” (Balkan Linguistics) (Shkup, 1994; also published in Macedonian in the same year), which make up an original synthesis of the achievements of Albanian and foreign linguists in these areas. Such works as “Prejardhja e Shqiptarëve nën dritën e dëshmive të gjuhës shqipe” (1999); English version “The Origin of the Albanians (Linguistically Investigated)” (2006); “Epiri, Pellazgët, Etruskët dhe Shqiptarët” (“Epirus, Pelasgians, Etruscans and Albanians”) (2008) contain not only a reasoned summary of the actual state of art, but also the new contribution and visions of the author. His vast research and publication activity has rendered prof. Demiraj a well- known and highly appreciated scholar all over the Albanian world as well as in the international scientific world.

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