Androkli Kostallari born on November 7, 1922 in Leusa of Përmet, is an Albanian linguist, lexicologist and academic. One of the brightest researchers of modern linguistics, passed away in Tirana, on March 23, 1992.

He graduated from high school in Shkodër and at the age of twenty became a partisan in the Albanian WWII resistance, known as the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War. In 1946, he was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Bashkimi”.

In the years 1949 – 1954, he studied linguistics at “Lomonosov” University in Moscow. Since he was a student, he started working on the compilation of the Russian-Albanian Dictionary, which was published in 1954. There, he also completed the first three years studies for journalism. Since 1954, he was appointed to leading positions at the Institute of History and Philology. In April 1955 he was appointed deputy director of the Institute of Linguistics and History, in 1957 deputy dean of the Faculty of History and Philology, while during 1958 – 1962, he was dean of this Faculty and director of the Institute of Linguistics and History. In 1969, he was elected a member of the International Committee of Onomastic Sciences (CIOS).

Androkli Kostallari has several times participated with reports and scientific papers in congresses and symposiums, leading the Albanian delegations in such activities, in Athens, Rome, Sofia, Munich, Copenhagen, Paris, etc.

In April 1970 he became a PhD, and in 1972 he was decorated with the Order “Naim Frashëri” of the First Class – for outstanding help in the field of education and culture; in 1974 he received the Republic Award of the First Degree – for the scientific work “Orthography of the Albanian language”. He also received this award for the Dictionary of Present Day Albanian Language, together with the co-authors;

In 1963 he was elected a member of the Committee of the International Organization of Studies for Southeast Europe (AIESEi) and in 1974 – a member of the Bureau of this Committee and its vice-president. Kostallari was one of the main organizers of the Orthography Congress and the creator and main editor of the Dictionary of the Present Day Albanian Language. He was awarded the title “Honoris Causa” by the University of Stockholm, while holding titles as “Teacher of the People”, “Professor” etc. He was a member of the editorial board of the “Atlas of the Languages ​​of Europe”.

From the rich bibliography of the scientific studies of Prof. Doctor Kostallari, we find Albanian-Russian Dictionary, Russian-Albanian Dictionary, Spelling of the Albanian language (1973), Spelling dictionary of the Albanian language (1976). He has also published 18 monographs and studies, like ‘On the main features of contemporary literary Albanian’ (1966), ‘The figure of Scanderbeg in world literature’ (1968), ‘Basic principles for the compilation of the Dictionary of today’s Albanian language’ (1968), ‘The Albanian literary language and our Age’ (1985), he was the editor-in-chief of the major work “Dictionary of the Albanian Language” (1980), Dictionary of Present Day Albanian (1984), etc. He has been honored twice with the Award of Republic.

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