STUDIES OF QEMAL MURAT IN THE FIELD OF TOPONYMY

Abstract

Over the centuries, civilized nations and their respective states have placed paramount importance on language. Those who love their homeland and nation are always concerned with the preservation of the language. Among the many facts that testify to the preservation of language are also proper names. Toponymy deals specifically with the proper names of inhabited places, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, mountains, various types of reliefs, roads, squares, administrative divisions and regions. Research on place names is complex and filled with challenges, as toponyms are characterized by ancient origins, dating back to past epochs, and transmitted over time, often resulting in obscure forms. Toponymy aids both intra-linguistic and extra-linguistic disciplines. For linguists, research primarily appears as an interdisciplinary collaboration. Within this complex discipline, valuable linguistic contributions have been made by Albanian linguists both within and beyond the borders of the Republic of Albania. The material presented in this paper comes as a synthesis of the research and evidence of the continuous scientific work of the linguist Qemal Murati, in conditions where Albanian toponymy in North Macedonia (RMV) has often experienced certain challenges. Qemal Murati is one of the most productive Albanian linguists of our time, with over 40 books published in monograph form and dozens of other works as a co-author, editor or reviewer. Thanks to his cultural formation, he managed to create the foundations in Prishtina: initially in high school, then though university and postgraduate studies, at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Prishtina, especially in the Department of Albanian Language and Literature. His research profile has repeatedly testified that he belongs to all Albanian lands, because for him “language is the ultimate homeland”. This implies the main theme of his scientific positions, considering language a treasure “that states keep buried in banks to guarantee their existence”. Prof. Dr. Qemal Murati is a deep expert on Albanian and several foreign languages. Through his studies, he has shed light on issues of comparative linguistics, especially between the languages of the Balkans, where he has clarified many aspects of intercultural and interlingua influences. He has made a valuable contribution to the field of sociolinguistics and dialectology for the multidimensional study of the Albanian-speaking area in North Macedonia, researching aspects of grammar, lexicon and ethnography, in relation to the entire Balkan area. The paper aims to provide linguistic arguments about the studies of Albanian toponyms in the area of North Macedonia that could potentially affect issues of Albanology. The methodology used in this study will be descriptive, with the specific aim of systematizing and presenting his research in the field of toponymy, in the interest of various domestic and foreign researchers, also serving as a reference for this field of study for the entire Albanian area, part of the Balkan Peninsula.