by Memoza Elezi

Summary

The text discusses an Albanian primer written in Ottoman (Arabic) script and challenges the idea that the Ottoman Empire suppressed the Albanian language. It argues that Albanian was not banned, but instead written using Arabic letters, similar to Ottoman Turkish. The author emphasizes relying on historical documents rather than assumptions and plans to present and record a rare primer written in Albanian with Ottoman script, likely in the Gheg dialect. An example passage explains units of time (year, month, day, etc.). Overall, the text promotes a reconsideration of linguistic history through primary sources and highlights the coexistence of Albanian language and Ottoman writing systems.

We often draw many conclusions and say that we are very capable and that we never forgot our language.

Many times, we come across the conclusion that the Ottomans tried to make us forget our language.

In reality, if we had not been allowed to speak our language, no one today would be speaking Albanian.

(I do not take anyone’s side, but I speak based on what comes into my hands—documents—like this Albanian primer. In some historical matters, documents must speak first, and then educators and academics should draw conclusions.)

I hope that the person who owns the primer that I examined yesterday, written in Arabic letters but pronounced in Albanian, will give me the primer written in Ottoman script—which sounds Albanian and in a strongly Gheg dialect—so that I can present it to you soon. (He told me he will give it to me.) I will record it.

So, the Albanian language during the Ottoman period was never banned; on the contrary, people were taught Albanian, but written in Arabic script.

This was not only the case for us, but also for Turkish itself. Old Turkish was once written in Latin letters, and during the Ottoman Empire the Latin script was removed, and Turkish itself was written in Ottoman script.

For example:
A page from the Albanian primer in Arabic script (after I translate it بالكامل, I will present a full program).

TEXT IN ARABIC ALPHABET – PRONUNCIATION IN ALBANIAN:

“…One year has twelve months. One month has four weeks. One week has seven days. One day has twenty-four hours, a day and a night have twenty-four hours. One hour has sixty minutes. One minute has sixty seconds. One second is as long as the time it takes to open and close your eyes.”