The case of Albanian Language - Wikipedia vs. Britannica

• Author: Irda Dervishi
• Position: University of Tirana
• Pages: 85-92

85

Vol. 4 No.2

September 2018

Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

ISSN 2410-759X

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

The case of Albanian Language – Wikipedia vs. Britannica

PhD (C.) Irda Dervishi

University of Tirana

Abstract

Nowadays Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) and Encyclopædia Britannica (Britannica online

encyclopedia) have proven to be two essential internet resources that disseminate scientifi c

knowledge on miscellaneous topics. This paper aims to inspect the information provided

by these two encyclopedias on the Albanian Language. The two encyclopedia websites are

commonly accessed by those who typically require some information on a certain topic on the

spur of the moment. In this present contribution, articles from Wikipedia and Encyclopædia

Britannica are compared and contrasted by pointing their specifi c positive aspects or

drawbacks. For both sources, the paper evaluates the extent to which the articles convey

appropriate and crucial information to the readers interested in ge ing some basic information

about the Albanian Language. Finally, the paper presents some additional information on the

current language situation in Albania and the main tendencies of language use among native

speakers, as well as some central issues concerning the Albanian language studies.

Keywords: Albanian language, dialect, Encyclopædia Britannica, language situation,

Wikipedia.

Introduction

On an airplane trip, I met a foreigner who asked me: “And what language do you

speak in Albania?” “Albanian”, I answered hastily, assuming that this was already

a world-wide known fact. “That is a Slavic language, isn’t it?” suggested the fellow

traveler, possibly trying to cause amusement and then he added: “Oh, now that I

am thinking, you do not like Slavs a lot, do you?” I still do not know whether my

companion was not sure on the Albanian language family belonging, or was just

trying to induce my national feelings, so stereotypical of someone from the Balkans.

Likewise (or perhaps di erently from) my plane fellow, people might not be very

informed on Albanian language and its properties, as one of the languages on a

distinct branch of the Indo-European language family. Where can they get the

necessary information from? Are there reliable sources on the internet and is their

information relevant or su cient?

The most convenient way for someone interested in an introduction to Albanian

language, would be searching the topic on the internet. In my paper I consider two

main internet sources that provide information on Albanian Language: Wikipedia (the

free encyclopedia) and Encyclopædia Britannica (Britannica online encyclopedia).

My aim is to compare the respective articles, and state some of the possible positive

or negative aspects of these articles. Moreover the paper evaluates the extent to which

the articles convey appropriate and essential information to the readers interested

in ge ing some basic information for the Albanian Language. Finally it will present

some extra facts on the current language situation in Albania and the main tendencies