Albanian Literary Committee (Komisia) And Orthographic Rules For A Unified Albanian Language

Abstract

The Renaissance era brought great breakthroughs to the culture of Albanians, especially in the delivery of Albanian language, which was testimony of the Albanian community, and served as a tie that would unite all Albanians, regardless of their place and religion. The Congress of Monastery (1908), in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which was an important historical assembly for the creation of a single Albanian alphabet, was followed by another historic event of national value. The so called Literary Komisia (Committee) of Shkodra (1916-1917), indeed would become first scientific institution of the country, and thus, this article reflects the continuous work and contribution carried and given by the Albanian scholars and patriots for a unified and single Albanian language. Seen from this perspective, the article will analyze and discuss two main issues, which were part of the focus of this society: one refers to the choice of Elbasanishte as "a bridge between dialects", as Luigj Gurakuqi says, and the other refers to solution of spelling issues through the drafting of orthography rules. In short, it was the Literary Komisia of Shkodra which operated in Shkodra from 1916 to 1917, that led to the process of linguistic convergence, and paved the way for a series of important events for the future of the Albanian language, but also for the Albanian people wherever they live.