Selman Riza
Encyclopedia
Selman Riza was an Albanian
linguist and Albanologist. Riza was one of the founding members of the Albanological Institute of Kosovo in 1953.
on December 21, 1909. In 1922 he migrated to Albania, where he first studied in the Naim Frashëri school. At the time of his graduation in 1925 he was honoured as the best student of the school and gained a scholarship in the National Lyceum of Korçë
in 1925. As Riza graduated three years earlier than the regular duration of the studies the lyceum's director Leon Perre suggested him for the annual scholarship of the ministry of education. In 1931 he gained a scholarship in the University of Toulouse
, where in three years he graduated from both the facultis of French language and literature and that of law. Later he studied in the University of Heidelberg, where he graduated from the faculty of German language. After returning to Albania he joined the faculty of the National Lyceum of Korçë.
protests were held in many parts of Albania. Selman Riza was arrested by the Italian authorities in the protest of Korçë held in the national day of Albania, on 28 November 1939. The documents of the town's fascist militia describe him as an anti-Italian activist, who disseminated antifascist material among his students. In 1940 Riza was arrested again and transferred to the Santo Stefano
internment camp. In October 1941 he was released and moved to Durrës
and in July 1942 to Kosovo, where he founded the Irredentist Antifascist Movement, an anti-nazi and anticommunist organization. The manifesto of the organization was published in Tiranë in December 1943. In 1945 he returned to the city, but was arrested one day later by the Communist regime. Yugoslav authorities asked for his extradition, which was initially accepted but later the decision was overturned after the intervention of the minister of justice Manolo Konomi. In 1948 a new extradition request was accepted and he was moved to Yugoslav prisons. Riza was released in 1951, because he was heavily afflicted by scurvy.
. In April 1967 he was again put to trial and as a result his writing and publishing rights were revoked. After being transferred to Berat
his right to borrow books from the library was revoked too. Selman Riza died in 1988, while most of his works were published post-mortem. In 2005 Ibrahim Rugova
, President of Kosovo posthumously awarded him with the Golden Medal of the League of Prizren and in 2009 Fatmir Sejdiu
, his successor awarded Riza with the Golden Medal of Freedom.
used in early Albanian literature, especially with Gjon Buzuku
's Meshari. His 1952 study on the Serbo-Croatian grammar is regarded as a work of contrastive analysis
, although that theory was not formulated until five years later by Robert Lado
.
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
linguist and Albanologist. Riza was one of the founding members of the Albanological Institute of Kosovo in 1953.
Early life
Selman Riza was born in Gjakova, KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
on December 21, 1909. In 1922 he migrated to Albania, where he first studied in the Naim Frashëri school. At the time of his graduation in 1925 he was honoured as the best student of the school and gained a scholarship in the National Lyceum of Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
in 1925. As Riza graduated three years earlier than the regular duration of the studies the lyceum's director Leon Perre suggested him for the annual scholarship of the ministry of education. In 1931 he gained a scholarship in the University of Toulouse
University of Toulouse
The Université de Toulouse is a consortium of French universities, grandes écoles and other institutions of higher education and research, named after one of the earliest universities established in Europe in 1229, and including the successor universities to that earlier university...
, where in three years he graduated from both the facultis of French language and literature and that of law. Later he studied in the University of Heidelberg, where he graduated from the faculty of German language. After returning to Albania he joined the faculty of the National Lyceum of Korçë.
Politics
After the Italian invasion of AlbaniaItalian invasion of Albania
The Italian invasion of Albania was a brief military campaign by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom. The conflict was a result of the imperialist policies of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini...
protests were held in many parts of Albania. Selman Riza was arrested by the Italian authorities in the protest of Korçë held in the national day of Albania, on 28 November 1939. The documents of the town's fascist militia describe him as an anti-Italian activist, who disseminated antifascist material among his students. In 1940 Riza was arrested again and transferred to the Santo Stefano
Santo Stefano Island
Santo Stefano is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy, and part of the Pontine Islands. It has a circular shape, is less than 400 metres in diameter, and is located 2 kilometres east from the nearby island of Ventotene....
internment camp. In October 1941 he was released and moved to Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
and in July 1942 to Kosovo, where he founded the Irredentist Antifascist Movement, an anti-nazi and anticommunist organization. The manifesto of the organization was published in Tiranë in December 1943. In 1945 he returned to the city, but was arrested one day later by the Communist regime. Yugoslav authorities asked for his extradition, which was initially accepted but later the decision was overturned after the intervention of the minister of justice Manolo Konomi. In 1948 a new extradition request was accepted and he was moved to Yugoslav prisons. Riza was released in 1951, because he was heavily afflicted by scurvy.
Later life
After his release he co-founded the Albanological Institute of Kosovo along with Ilhami Nimani, Mehdi Bardhi and Ali Rexha. In 1955 he returned to Albania and worked at the Institute of History and Linguistics in Tiranë and the faculty of philology of the University of TiranaUniversity 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...
. In April 1967 he was again put to trial and as a result his writing and publishing rights were revoked. After being transferred to Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
his right to borrow books from the library was revoked too. Selman Riza died in 1988, while most of his works were published post-mortem. In 2005 Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
, President of Kosovo posthumously awarded him with the Golden Medal of the League of Prizren and in 2009 Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo and was the first President of the Republic of Kosovo.-Early life and education:...
, his successor awarded Riza with the Golden Medal of Freedom.
Works
In 1944 his commentary work on Albanological studies, titled Tri Monografina Albanologjike, was published in Tiranë. His works' main subjects include variants of the Albanian languageAlbanian 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...
used in early Albanian literature, especially with 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...
's Meshari. His 1952 study on the Serbo-Croatian grammar is regarded as a work of contrastive analysis
Contrastive analysis
Contrastive analysis is the systematic study of a pair of languages with a view to identifying their structural differences and similarities. Historically it has been used to establish language genealogies....
, although that theory was not formulated until five years later by Robert Lado
Robert Lado
Dr. Robert Lado was an American expert on modern linguistics. His parents were Spanish immigrants who relocated to Spain before he had a chance to learn English. He returned to the United States at the age of 21, and began to learn English as an adult...
.