Shaban Demiraj (1920–2014) was an Albanian albanologist, linguist, professor at the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the ''State University of Tirana'' in 1957 through merging of f ...

from 1972–1990, and chairman of the

Academy of Sciences of Albania The Academy of Sciences of Albania ( sq, Akademia e Shkencave e Shqipërisë), founded in 1972, is the most important scientific institution in Albania. In the 1980s, several research institutes began at the University of Tirana were transferred ...

during the period of 1993-1997.

Life

Demiraj was born on 1 January 1920 in

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

. Despite financial difficulties and the lack of academic institutions in Albania, he managed to study and learn

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

, and the major European languages. After finishing the

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

in 1939, he studied

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Eur ...

in the two-year curriculum Pedagogical Institute, branch of Albanian language and literature (1946–1948), and later in the High Pedagogical Institute (1954–1955). During 1948–1954 he worked as language and literature teacher in various high schools in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea ...

and Tirana. In 1954, he started working as a lector in the same High Pedagogical Institute from where he graduated, and later in the University of Tirana (UT), holding that position until 1990. During 1962–1989, he was in charge of the Albanian language chair, and in the period 1962–1966 he served as deputy

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Faculty of History and

Philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

of the UT.
His areas of expertise were: the morphology of modern Albanian, Albanian historical

grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraints, a field that includes doma ...

, the history of the Albanian writing (18th–19th centuries), and a special course on

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

linguistics. In 1989 he became member of the

Albanian Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of Albania ( sq, Akademia e Shkencave e Shqipërisë), founded in 1972, is the most important scientific institution in Albania. In the 1980s, several research institutes began at the University of Tirana were transferred ...

, and was its chairman during 1993–97.Chairmen of the Academy of Sciences through the years (in Albanian)
/ref> Beside his research publications, Demiraj also published many scientific articles inside Albania and abroad on topics as history of the Albanian language, grammar and

phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

, and Balkanology. He has transcribed and adapted the work of Gavril Dara ''Kënga e sprasme e Balës'' (The last song of Bala) in 1994. He also worked as a translator, having produced the Albanian edition of ''

Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in ''The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publish ...

,'' a novel by

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

, in 1959.Biography of Shaban Demiraj
Albanian Academy of Sciences (in Albanian)
Demiraj was part of the committee that organized the Orthography Congress of 1972, sq, Kongresi i Drejtshkrimit, where the orthographic rules of the Albanian language were standardized, and he was also a signatory to the orthography. He is the father of linguist

Bardhyl Demiraj Bardhyl Demiraj (born 29 March 1958) is an Albanian linguist and Albanologist. He is considered one of the leading experts in the study of Albanian etymology. Biography Bardhyl Demiraj was born on 29 March 1958 in Tirana, the son of linguist ...

Work

Some of his main works include: *''Çështje të sistemit emëror të gjuhës shqipe'' uestions of the noun system of the Albanian language Pristina: Pristina University Press, 1972. *''Gramatikë historike e gjuhës shqipe''. Tirana: Tirana University Press, 1986. **

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

translation: Austrian Academy of Sciences. ''Historische Grammatik der albanischen Sprache''. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1993. *''Gjuha shqipe dhe historia e saj'' lbanian language and its history Tirana: Tirana University Press, 1988 **

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

translation: ''La lingua albanese – origine, storia, strutture''. Rende: Centro Editoriale e Librario, Università degli Studi della Calabria, 1997. *''Gjuhësi ballkanike'' alkanic linguistics Skopje: Logos-A 1994 (in Albanian and

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...

), republished in Tirana in 2004 *''Fonologjia historike e gjuhës shqipe'' (Historical phonology of the Albanian language), 1996 *''Prejardhja e Shqiptarëve në dritën e dëshmive të gjuhës shqipe'' (Origin of the Albanians in the light of the Albanian language testimonies), 1999, a second edition in English as ''The Origin of the Albanians (linguistically investigated)'', 2006 *''Eqrem Çabej'' (Eqrem Çabej), 1990 *''Epiri, Pellazgët, Etruskët dhe Shqiptarët'' (

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

, the

Pelasgians The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...

, the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roug ...

, and the Albanians), 2008. *''Gramatikë e gjuhës shqipe, vëll. I Morfologjia'' (Grammar of Albanian language, vol. I Morphology), 1976, other editions 1995, 2002, as editor and co-author.

Awards

*"Mësues i Pupullit" (People's Teacher). *"Çmimi i Republikës i shkallës së parë" (First Grade Republic's Prize). *"Çmimi i Republikës i shkallës së dytë" (Second Grade Republic's Prize), twice. *"Mjeshtër i Madh i Punës" (Great Work Master) Order. * "Honorary Citizenship" from

municipality

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demiraj, Shaban 1920 births 2014 deaths Linguists from Albania Academics of the University of Tirana Albanian schoolteachers Albanologists People from Vlorë Members of the Academy of Sciences of Albania Albanian translators English–Albanian translators Albanian lexicographers Albanian philologists 20th-century Albanian educators 20th-century translators Linguists of Indo-European languages

Life

Work

Awards

See also

References