Today, the Center for Studies and Publications on the Arbëresh commemorated the 203rd anniversary of the birth of the distinguished Arbëresh scholar, Dhimitër Kamarda.

Kamarda was a philologist, folklorist, and Albanian language scholar. He was born in Hora e Arbëreshëvet on October 23, 1821, and played a significant role in the study of the Albanian language during the 19th century. A researcher of Arbëresh folklore and a scholar of Indo-European linguistics, Kamarda made remarkable contributions to the field of Albanian linguistics with his seminal work, “Sprovë e gramatologjisë krahasuese mbi gjuhën shqipe” (A Comparative Grammar Study of the Albanian Language) (1864).

This work marked the first encounter with the scientific advancements of the time in linguistics, focusing on the diachronic study of the Albanian language. It presents a comprehensive set of observations in the historical-comparative context, covering grammar and etymology. This was followed by “Appendice alla Grammatologia comparata sulla lingua albanese” (Appendix to the Comparative Grammar Study on the Albanian Language), Prato 1866, which, along with his main work, was republished by the Center for Studies and Publications on the Arbëresh (QSPA) in Tirana in 2021. The edition, conceived and prepared by Dr. Dhori Q. Qirjazi, is titled “Dhimitër Kamarda (1821-1881) – Për një shqipe ‘të gjithakushme dhe të gjithakundme’ dhe të tjera vepërza” (Dhimitër Kamarda (1821-1881) – For a ‘Universal and Omnipresent’ Albanian and Other Works). Kamarda passed away on April 13, 1882, in Livorno.

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