Eqrem Çabej, a distinguished linguist, professor, academic, and Teacher of the People, was born in Gjirokastër. He received his initial education in his hometown before attending high school in Klagenfurt, Austria. He continued his higher studies in comparative Indo-European linguistics and Albanology at the University of Graz and later at the University of Vienna, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1933. Çabej worked as a teacher of Albanian language and literature in secondary schools in Shkodër, Elbasan, Gjirokastër, and Tirana. In 1940, he was expelled from his educational position for supporting the anti-fascist actions of students and subsequently was sent to Rome, where he worked on the Albanian language atlas. He returned to Albania in 1944 and worked at the Institute of Sciences, becoming one of the first educators at the Two-Year Higher Pedagogical Institute. With the establishment of the University of Tirana, Çabej resumed his teaching career, focusing on the history of the Albanian language and historical phonetics. He was a founding member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania and served on its presidium. Çabej worked at the Institute of Linguistics and Literature until the end of his life, contributing significantly to higher education and Albanian linguistics for nearly half a century. He authored several key texts on various subjects and co-authored numerous collective works. While his scientific work primarily focused on linguistics, it also extended to folklore, ethnography, and the history of literature. His main area of expertise was the history of language, where he explored its diverse aspects and challenges, with particular emphasis on etymological studies, the language of ancient authors, and the philological publication of their works. Çabej made significant contributions to the phonetics and historical grammar of Albanian and studied the general history of the Albanian language, including its origins and relationships with sister Indo-European languages, Balkan languages, and other languages. He convincingly argued for the Illyrian origin of the Albanian language and people, highlighting their autochthony in their current lands, the role of the Albanian language in relation to languages it interacted with, and the unity of Albanian material and spiritual culture. Among his major works are “Studime etimologjike në fushë të shqipes” (“Etymological Studies in the Field of Albanian”) (in seven volumes, 1976-2006), “Meshari i Gjon Buzukut (1555)” (“Missal of Gjon Buzuku”), a critical edition in two volumes with a comprehensive introductory study (1958), and “Studime për fonetikën historike të gjuhës shqipe” (“Studies on the Historical Phonetics of the Albanian Language”) (1988). Çabej was recognized as a leading scientific authority in Albanology through numerous publications in foreign language journals and participation in international scientific forums. His work has been published in Kosovo under the title “Studime gjuhësore” (“Linguistic Studies”) since 1976, comprising nine volumes to date. He received the Republic Award of the First Degree twice and was decorated with the “Honour of the Nation” order. Eqrem Çabej passed away in Rome on August 13, 1980. (In the photo: Eqrem Çabej)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 369.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eqrem_%C3%87abej
Graphic processing: AHCF
