The Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture, Tourism and Diaspora, Ina Zhupa, has raised strong concerns about the new draft of the Albanian Language Dictionary compiled by the Academy of Sciences, describing it as problematic on several levels and far from scientific standards.
According to her, the dictionary, as a cultural and national act financed with public funds, should reflect seriousness, responsibility and the contemporary development of society, which is lacking in this case.
Zhupa lists several concrete examples that, according to her, demonstrate poor quality work: the introduction of foreign words such as "abandonment" and "online" without real linguistic need, as well as deeply discriminatory definitions for the words "boy" and "girl", where the girl is presented with negative and prejudiced marks.
She emphasizes that this approach is not only scientifically unacceptable, but also socially dangerous, as it normalizes a male-dominated mentality through a normative language document.
In this context, Zhupa warns that she will request a hearing at the Culture Commission, where the Academy of Sciences will provide open explanations on the process of compiling the dictionary, the working groups and the scientific criteria used. She underlines that this issue will not be treated politically, but as a public and national interest, demanding a serious discussion on one of the main pillars of Albanian identity: language.
Full reaction:
The new Albanian language dictionary prepared by the Academy of Sciences raises serious concerns about a lack of professionalism! It easily contains errors, discrimination, inconsistencies with the definitions of terms according to laws, etc.
Language is the foundation of national culture. The vocabulary of a language is not simply a list of words, but a cultural, scientific and national act. Precisely for this reason, the vocabulary of the Albanian language must be accurate, responsible and in line with the contemporary development of society.
The new dictionary put out for public consultation has errors and positions that cannot be overlooked and are extremely problematic.
As Chair of the Committee on Culture, I will request a hearing in the committee, where the Academy of Sciences will provide professional and open explanations to the public and the scientific community on the drafting method, working groups, language files, research work, and consultations conducted.
It is in the public interest, as long as it concerns an official dictionary, made with public funds and an essential element of national identity. This hearing will not be treated as political at all, but as a cultural and national issue. The Albanian language deserves seriousness, professionalism and high institutional responsibility and a serious discussion.
The preparation of a dictionary is not only a linguistic task, but also a cultural and national act, which helps preserve and develop the identity of a nation.
Some of the public examples are clearly a manifestation of poor quality and problematic work on many levels. For example:
1. The introduction of the word “abandonment” into the Albanian-Albanian dictionary. A foreign word, in this case from Italian, cannot be certified as “Albanian” and the Albanian word “braktis” given as an explanation.
2. The introduction of the word "online" from the English "online".
The mechanical transliteration of loanwords, without scientific criteria and without real linguistic need, does not enrich Albanian, but deforms it.
3. The deeply discriminatory definition of the words "boy" and "girl".
In the new dictionary, "boy" is described with positive notes: brave, wise, pillar of the home, hopeful.
While "girl" is associated with a series of negative, offensive, and morally prejudicial definitions.
This spirit is not only scientifically unacceptable, but also socially dangerous, because it normalizes a male-dominated and discriminatory mentality through a normative language document.
4. Political terminology, the case of the word "party".
The explanation given in the online dictionary is in complete contrast to the Constitution, the law on political parties, and modern democratic concepts.
The definition of "party" as "an organization of a social class or stratum that fights for its interests" belongs to an outdated ideological paradigm, not to the pluralistic and constitutional reality of Albania and EU countries.
The dictionary cannot be ideological, prejudiced, or indifferent to linguistic and identity history. It shapes thought, educates generations, and determines what is considered "correct Albanian."
© BalkansWeb
