Eqrem Çabej
Encyclopedia
Eqrem Çabej (ˌɛcrɛm ˈt͡ʃabɛj) (6 August 1908-13 August 1980) was an Albania
n historical linguist and scholar who, through the publication of numerous studies gained a reputation as a key expert in the research into Albanian-language, literature
, ethnology
and linguistics
.
, Albania
, Eqrem Çabej completed his elementary education in his hometown. He left Albania in 1921, at the age of 12, and moved to Austria
to continue his studies: first in St. Pölten then in Klagenfurt
(1923–26), where he obtained his bachelor's degree. He went to University first in Graz
(1927) and later in Vienna
(1930–33). Attending lectures of renowned language scholars such as Paul Kretschmer
, Karl Patsch, Nikolai Trubetzkoy
, and Norbert Jokl
, Çabej developed, under Jokl's guidance, an intense interest in the historical development of Albanian language
. Before returning to Albania at the end of 1933, he submitted, in the University of Vienna, the Italoalbanische Studien (Italo-Albanian Studies in English) as his doctoral dissertation.
, Gjirokastër and Tirana
. After Albania's occupation by Mussolini's Italy
on 7 April 1939, he was sent away from Albania and confined to Rome
, Italy. In 1942, he received an invitation to join the newly formed Institute of Albanian Studies, which he declined, and, in 1943, was offered the position of minister of education in the government headed by Prime Minister Rexhep Mitrovica
which he refused also. Returning to Albania in the spring of 1944, he continued to work as a teacher and, in 1947, was appointed as a researcher in Instituti i Shkencavet (The Institute of Sciences) in Tirana, the precursor institution of the University of Tirana
. From 1952 to 1967, he served as a professor of the history of Albanian language
and historical phonology
. In 1972, he became a founding member of Academy of Sciences of Albania
. He worked as a researcher at the Institute of Linguistics and Literature in Tirana until the end of his life.
Eqrem Çabej died in a clinic in Rome, Italy, a week after his 72nd birthday.
"Meshari
" i Gjon Buzuku
t [The Missal of Gjon Buzuku] a critical edition (Tirana 1962-68)
His complete works have been published in 9 volumes as Studime gjuhësore [Linguistic Studies], in Pristina
(1976). The Eqrem Çabej University in Gjirokastër is named in his honor.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n historical linguist and scholar who, through the publication of numerous studies gained a reputation as a key expert in the research into Albanian-language, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
and linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
.
Educational background
A native of the southern city of GjirokastërGjirokastër
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Eqrem Çabej completed his elementary education in his hometown. He left Albania in 1921, at the age of 12, and moved to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to continue his studies: first in St. Pölten then in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
(1923–26), where he obtained his bachelor's degree. He went to University first in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
(1927) and later in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(1930–33). Attending lectures of renowned language scholars such as Paul Kretschmer
Paul Kretschmer
Paul Kretschmer was a German linguist who studied the earliest history and interrelations of the Indo-European languages and showed how they were influenced by non-Indo-European languages, such as Etruscan....
, Karl Patsch, Nikolai Trubetzkoy
Nikolai Trubetzkoy
Prince Nikolai Sergeyevich Trubetzkoy was a Russian linguist and historian whose teachings formed a nucleus of the Prague School of structural linguistics. He is widely considered to be the founder of morphophonology...
, and Norbert Jokl
Norbert Jokl
Norbert Jokl was an Austrian Albanologist of Jewish descent who has been called the father of Albanology.- Early life :...
, Çabej developed, under Jokl's guidance, an intense interest in the historical development of Albanian language
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
. Before returning to Albania at the end of 1933, he submitted, in the University of Vienna, the Italoalbanische Studien (Italo-Albanian Studies in English) as his doctoral dissertation.
Career as an educator and scholar
Home after a 13-year absence, the 25-year-old Çabej returned to Albania and spent five years as a secondary school teacher in: Shkodra, ElbasanElbasan
Elbasan is a city in central Albania. It is located on the Shkumbin River in the District of Elbasan and the County of Elbasan, at...
, Gjirokastër and Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. After Albania's occupation by Mussolini's Italy
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
on 7 April 1939, he was sent away from Albania and confined to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy. In 1942, he received an invitation to join the newly formed Institute of Albanian Studies, which he declined, and, in 1943, was offered the position of minister of education in the government headed by Prime Minister Rexhep Mitrovica
Rexhep Mitrovica
Rexhep Mitrovica was an Albanian politician and land owner. He served as Prime Minister of Albania in 1943-1944 and was the longest serving Prime minister for the Balli Kombetar.-Early life:...
which he refused also. Returning to Albania in the spring of 1944, he continued to work as a teacher and, in 1947, was appointed as a researcher in Instituti i Shkencavet (The Institute of Sciences) in Tirana, the precursor institution of the University of Tirana
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana is a public university located in Tirana, Albania.-History:UT was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947...
. From 1952 to 1967, he served as a professor of the history of Albanian language
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
and historical phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
. In 1972, he became a founding member of Academy of Sciences of Albania
Academy of Sciences of Albania
The Academy of Sciences of Albania , founded in 1972, is the most important scientific institution in Albania. The institution includes the most distinguished scientists, also called "academics", that are involved in research centers and other organisms inside and outside Albania...
. He worked as a researcher at the Institute of Linguistics and Literature in Tirana until the end of his life.
Eqrem Çabej died in a clinic in Rome, Italy, a week after his 72nd birthday.
Works and tributes
Among Eqrem Çabej's numerous works dealing with Albanian language and its history are:- Hyrje në historinë e gjuhës shqipe [Introduction to the History of Albanian Language] (Tirana 1958)
- "Parashtesat e gjuhës shqipe" (Prefixes in Albanian Language) in collaboration with Aleksandër Xhuvani, 1956
- "Prapashtesat e gjuhës shqipe" (Suffixes in Albanian Language) in collaboration with Aleksandër Xhuvani, 1962
"Meshari
Meshari
Meshari is the first book written and published in Albanian. The book was written by Gjon Buzuku, a Catholic cleric in 1555. The book contains 188 pages and is written in two columns. Meshari is the translation of the main parts of the Catholic Liturgy into Albanian...
" i Gjon Buzuku
Gjon Buzuku
Gjon Buzuku was an Albanian Catholic clergyman who wrote the first known printed book in Albanian.Gjon Buzuku was born in the village of Ljare in the Bar district, close to Northern Albania , then Ottoman Empire. He probably lived in or near Venice, Italy...
t [The Missal of Gjon Buzuku] a critical edition (Tirana 1962-68)
- Fonetika historike e shqipes [Historical Phonology of Albanian] (Tirana 1968)
- Shumësi i singularizuar në gjuhën shqipe (The singularized plural in Albanian language) 1967
- Studime etimologjike në fushë të shqipes [Etymological Studies in the Field of Albanian] in 7 volumes (Tirana 1976-2006, 5th volume still to appear)
His complete works have been published in 9 volumes as Studime gjuhësore [Linguistic Studies], in Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
(1976). The Eqrem Çabej University in Gjirokastër is named in his honor.