Original study by Zarija Brajović. Translation by Petrit Latifi

Institut za crnogorski jezik i književnost
UDK 811.18’373.2
Izvorni naučni rad

Abstract:
The paper presents a reflection on the compounds in Albanian onomastics, mainly based on material from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Keywords: onomastics, compounds, Albanian language, Middle Ages.

This paper examines the structure of compound forms in Albanian onomastics, focusing primarily on material from the 15th and 16th centuries. The study relies on medieval documentary sources and aims to demonstrate the long continuity of compound formation within the Albanian linguistic tradition.

1. Introduction

The Albanian-speaking area has, throughout history, been exposed to strong external influences. Despite this, the Albanian language survived, developed and enriched itself. Because of the scarcity of early written material, it is difficult to trace all stages of this development.

One valuable method for studying early Albanian is the examination of onomastics. Many scholars have contributed to this field, but the material is still not fully understood. Onomastic material can be analyzed etymologically, semantically, or structurally. This study focuses on the structural analysis of composite (compound) toponyms and patronymics from the late medieval period.

2. Sources and Method

The analysis is based on major documentary collections, including:

• Selected Sources for the History of Albania (multiple volumes)
• Illyrians and Illyria
• Byzantine commercial and administrative sources
• The cadastre of Shkodra (1416–1417)
• The Shkodra Sanjak register (1485)
• Northern Albania in the 18th century

These sources contain extensive toponymic and anthroponymic material from the 11th to the 18th centuries, allowing detailed study of compounds.

3. Compounds in Albanian: General Background

Compounding is one of the standard mechanisms of word creation in Albanian. Despite limited early documentation, compounds occur throughout historic Albanian and are neither rare nor late developments.

Foreign authors once claimed compounds were unusual in Albanian, but such conclusions stemmed from poor access to vernacular speech and limited written materials.

4. Evidence from Antiquity and the Middle Ages

Even Illyrian onomastics contains examples that can be interpreted as compounds (e.g., Dimalum, Skenobarbus, Triballoi). Although Illyrian tended toward single-stem naming, this does not exclude the existence of compounds.

During the medieval period, the frequency of compounds increases. Byzantine chronicles mention several composite place-names and personal names. This rise is connected to socio-historical developments such as feudal fragmentation, migration, and tribal organization.

5. Structural Characteristics of Albanian Compounds

5.1 Fusion and Joining

Albanian compounds often involve full fusion of two lexemes into one, without conjunctive elements. This distinguishes Albanian from many neighboring Balkan languages. Although linking vowels occur occasionally, they are not systematic.

A characteristic feature is that the first element of a compound often ends in a vowel (due to the definite form), facilitating the joining process.

5.2 Accentuation

In Albanian compounds, the accent normally falls on the second part. This conforms to the Albanian rule that stresses the penultimate syllable, and differs from accent patterns in neighboring Balkan languages.

Historical documents confirm that scribes—often non-Albanian—recorded these accent patterns consistently.

5.3 Multi-word toponyms and their transition to compounds

Medieval documents frequently show toponyms in multi-word form that later evolve into single compounds. Examples include:

• Guri i Kuq → Gurakuq
• Kisha e Bardhë → Kishbardha

This process often occurs slowly in place-names.

6. Types of Compounds in Albanian Onomastics

Following Indo-European linguistic classification, the Albanian material includes:

1. Copulative compounds (Dvandva)
   Example: Bukadjathi
2. Determinative compounds (Karmadharaya and Tatpuruṣa)
   Examples:
   • Shënkoll
   • Figara
   • Nbregoshta

1. Attributive and possessive compounds (Bahuvrihi)
   This is the most common type, especially in toponyms and patronymics.
   They appear in multiple structural patterns:
   a. Noun + noun
   Examples: Kryethi, Bishtrrjolla, Balladrini; Balafusha, Kryezjarra.
   b. Noun + adjective
   Examples: Buzëzëzi, Kimekeqi; Bukmiri, Gurakuqi.
   c. Adjective + noun
   Examples: Barbarosen; Barbuka.
   d. Verb + noun
   Examples: Bankeqi; Kjerasha.
   e. Noun + verb
   Examples: Preskigjeta; Kryeqeshi.
2. Prepositional compounds
   Although debated, many formations of the type preposition + noun are functionally compounds. Examples include Mbishkodra, Nderfrashna, Teklani.

7. Conclusions

Compounding has existed continuously in Albanian and developed largely independently of external influence. Historical evidence shows that compounds were formed based on the spoken vernacular rather than written norms. Even when early writers were not Albanian speakers, their recordings preserve valuable data.

The medieval onomastic material demonstrates:

• the deep historical roots of Albanian compounding,
• the productivity of this morphological process,
• and the persistence of Albanian phonological and structural rules over centuries.

This makes medieval onomastics an essential source for understanding the evolution of the Albanian language.

Original source:

Zarija Brajović, “Osvrt na strukturu složenica u srednjovjekovnoj albanskoj onomastici,” Lingua Montenegrina 7/1 (2014): 131–…, Institut za crnogorski jezik i književnost.