Colleagues called him “the patriarch of the Albanian language.” Today, Albania remembers academic, linguist, and scholar Shaban Demiraj on the anniversary of his death on August 30, 2014.
Demiraj was born in Vlora on January 1, 1920. He completed his secondary education at the Madrasa in Tirana before studying Albanian language and literature at the two-year Pedagogical Institute and later at the Higher Pedagogical Institute.
From 1948 to 1954, he worked as a teacher at secondary schools in Gjirokastër and Tirana. In 1954, he began teaching at the Higher Pedagogical Institute and later at the University of Tirana, where he worked until 1990.
From 1962 to 1989, Demiraj headed the Department of Albanian Language. He also served as deputy dean of the Faculty of History and Philology from 1962 to 1966.
Demiraj later led the Academy of Sciences of Albania as its president from 1993 to 1997. He also served on the organizing committee and participated as a delegate at the Congress of Orthography in 1972.
Over 74 years of academic and creative work, Demiraj produced an extensive body of research. He published 13 linguistic works as a sole author, three additional works with co-authors, and contributed to four European publications focusing on the Albanian language.
He also wrote 10 university textbooks and four secondary-school textbooks as a sole author, while co-authoring five others. His work included six transcriptions and adaptations of works by Albanian Renaissance authors such as Naim Frashëri, Sami Frashëri, and Gavril Dara the Younger.
Demiraj also translated literary works and published more than 260 scientific articles and papers in academic journals across around 20 countries.
His academic work covered major areas of Albanian linguistics, including modern Albanian morphology, historical grammar, and the history of written Albanian from the 18th and 19th centuries. He also developed a specialized course in Balkan linguistics.
Among his most important works are “Issues of the Noun System of the Albanian Language” (1972), “Historical Grammar of the Albanian Language” (1986), “The Albanian Language and Its History” (1988), “Balkan Linguistics” (1994), “Historical Phonology of the Albanian Language” (1996), and “The Origin of the Albanians in Light of the Evidence of the Albanian Language” (1999).
His works also reached international audiences. The Austrian Academy of Sciences published a German edition of his “Historical Grammar of the Albanian Language” in 1993. The University of Calabria later published an Italian edition of “The Albanian Language and Its History” in 1997. An English version of his study on the origin of the Albanians followed in 2006.
Demiraj also edited and co-authored “Grammar of the Albanian Language,” Volume I, “Morphology,” first published in 1976.
Beyond his linguistic research, he transcribed and adapted Gavril Dara’s “The Last Song of Bala” into modern Albanian. He also translated Jack London’s novel “Martin Eden” into Albanian in 1959.
His scientific achievements earned him membership in the Academy of Sciences of Albania. He became its president between 1993 and 1997 and received the title of permanent academician in 2006.
He also belonged to the Central European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He served as an honorary member of the London Diplomatic Academy, a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, and vice president of the International Association for Southeast European Studies.
Albania recognized Demiraj’s contribution with numerous honors. He received the title “Professor” in 1972, “Teacher of the People” in 1977, and “Distinguished Professor” in 1990. He also won two Republic Awards, one Second Class and one First Class.
In 2000, authorities awarded him the Order “Grand Master.” A year later, the Municipality of Vlora named him an honorary citizen and named a city street after him.
Through his research, teaching, and publications, Shaban Demiraj made a lasting contribution to the study and development of the Albanian language. His legacy remains an important part of Albanian linguistic and academic history.
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