The Bulgarian professor Ekaterina Tarpomanova delivered a lecture titled “The Theory of Grammaticalization: Two Examples from the Balkan Languages” at the Albanological Institute in Prishtina, where she explained the linguistic connection in the Balkans and the development of grammatical forms, focusing on the Albanian language as part of this connection.
Professor Tarpomanova emphasized the importance of linguistic contact and convergence in the development of these forms, as well as the contribution of renowned scholars such as Rrejne Kopitar and Nikolai Trubetzkoy to the theory of Balkan linguistic connection. Both of these important scholars of Slavic language and literature have also influenced linguistic studies related to Balkan languages, including Albanian.
In her lecture, she also explained how the Balkan languages share common features due to mutual influences.
“Today I will speak to you about a topic I have worked on for many years, precisely how grammatical forms are born. How grammatical forms are created in languages, and for this purpose we will look at the Albanian language today as a Balkan language, not as a separate language in the Indo-European family but as a language that is part of the Balkan linguistic connection. What interests us more is the Balkan linguistic connection, and the first scholars who noticed that Balkan languages have common features, similarities with each other, were in 1929 and in the period 1861,” she said.
In a recent presentation, Professor Tarpomanova explained the linguistic connections among the Balkan languages, emphasizing the influence of linguistic contacts and the convergence of grammatical forms among the languages of the region.
Her engagement in international projects and her scholarly work continue to have a major impact in the field of comparative linguistics.
Ekaterina Tarpomanova, one of the most well-known experts in the field of Balkan and comparative linguistics, has made an extraordinary contribution to the development of digital resources and the study of Balkan languages. She has participated in important international projects and has been an undisputed leader in the academic field.