THE CHALLENGES AND THE CONTEXT OF THE USE OF ALBANIAN LANGUAGE IN NORTH MACEDONIA AFTER OHRID FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
Keywords:
mother tongue, linguistic equality, identity, institution, agreementAbstract
The purpose of the paper is to explain some aspects regarding the official use of the Albanian language in North Macedonia, having in mind that it became an official language initially with the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement in 2001, followed by amendments to the Constitution of the country during the same year, and followed by the adoption of the Law on the use of languages in 2008 and the Law on the use of languages of 2018 which is still in force. The Albanian language constitutes the basic identity element of the Albanian population in North Macedonia and as such was part of the Ohrid Agreement which ended the armed conflict in 2001, a political agreement which addressed a wide range of issues related to ethnic identity, which after the constitutional amendments of 2001, took on an institutional character. The paper follows an explanatory line of this Agreement regarding the use of the Albanian language, as well as the circumstances and the evolving process of translation into concrete laws for the use of the language in the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. I underline the term evolutionary process, always bearing in mind the fact that the other ethnic issues addressed in the Ohrid Framework Agreement were transformed into laws much earlier than the issue of the official use of the Albanian language, and this development is dedicated to the fact that during the implementation process of the Agreement priority was been given to issues which had a higher potential for conflict, such as ethnic representation in security forces (policy and army), while the official use of the Albanian language in a wide spectrum was treated as a matter that could be discussed and implemented later. The process of the legal regulation of the official use of the Albanian language began in 2008 and was completed with the Law on the Use of Languages of 2018, which includes the use of the Albanian language at the central levels of legislation, including executive, judicial and local institutions. Being a law with a wide scope of action, the interest of this paper are also the challenges faced by the implementation of this law in practice, always bearing in mind the existing institutional capacities of the institutions responsible for implementing this law in the everyday life of the citizens of the country. Overcoming these challenges remains a matter of identity, but also a matter of special developmental importance when we consider the fact that the equal use of languages constitutes the essence of the European values of equality and progress.
References
Aristotle, (2018), The Art of Rhetoric, Oxford World’s Classics;
Andeva, M.,&Sela, Y.,& Matovski,L., (2022), Languages and Identities in North Macedonia: Legal and Political Challenges to State Formation, MPRA Paper No.116695, https//mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de.;
Balibar, E.&Wallerstein,I. (2000) Race, Nation,Class, Ambigous Identities, London-New York , Verso;
Balibar, E. (2001) , Nous, Citoyens D’Europe? Les frontieres, l’Etat, le peuple, Editions La Decouverte, Paris;
Banac, I.( 1984), Nacionalno Pitanje u Jugoslaviji, Porijeklo, Povijest, Politika, Zagreb, Globus;
Blackburn, S. W. (2022), The philosophy of language, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, Encyclopedia Britanica,Category: history and society, https//britanica.com;
Brubaker, R. (1996), Nationalism refraimed, Nationhood and the National Question in the New Europe, Cambridge University Press;
Hagege, C. (1992), Le souffle de la langue, Paris, Editions Odile Jackob;
Horowitz, D. L. (1985), Ethnic groups in conflict, University of California Press;
Kadriu, B., &Sela, Y., (2017), The right to use Albanian Language as an official Language in Macedonia: the new Draft Law , its content, advancement and comparison, International Journal of Bussines and Technology, Vol 6.; pp.2-16, http//knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net;
Ligji i përdorimit të gjuhës që e flasin së paku 20% e qytetarëve të Maqedonisë dhe në njësitë e Vetëqeverisjes Lokale, (2008), Gazeta zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë, nr. 101/2008;
Ligji për ndryshimin e këtij Ligji,(2011), Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë, nr.100/2011;
Ligji i përdorimit të gjuhëve, (2019), Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut, nr. 7/2019;
Ligji për inspektoratin për përdorimin e gjuhëve, (2019), Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut, nr. 220/2019;
Ligji për Letërnjoftim, (2004), Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë, nr. 16/2004;
Ligji për ndryshimin dhe plotësimin e Ligjit për Arsimin e Lartë, (2003), Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Maqedonisë, nr. 49/2003;
Lucy, J.A. (2001), Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, International Encyclopedia of the Social &Behavioral Science, Pergamom, pp.13486-13490, doi.org.10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/03042-4;
Morin, E. ( 2001), Europa në Mendje, Tiranë, Libra për shoqëri të hapur;
Ragaru, N. (2008), Macedonia: Between Ohrid and Brussels, Cahiers de Chaillot, N. 107, pp. 41-60; hal-00972853, https//sciencespo.hal.science;
Ohrid Framework Agreement, (2001), https//www.osce.org;
Ohrid Framework Agreement, Annex B, Legislative modifications (2001), https//www.osce.org;
Ohrid Framework Agreement Review on Social Cohesion, (2015), Europian Instititute of Peace, Skopje, www.eip.org;
Shapiro, M. J.( 2016), Politics and time, London, Polity;
Sela,Y.&Zejneli,J.&Shasivari,J.&Hajretin,V.&Saliu,A.&Matovski,L.(2021), Gjuha Shqipe para dhe pas miratimit të Ligjit të Përdorimit të Gjuhëve të vitit 2019, Shkup, Agjencia e zbatimit të gjuhës;
Sela, Y.,&Matovski, L., (2022), Legal Aspects of Use of Languages in Republic of North Macedonia, Skopje, Language Implementation Agency of RNM;
Wallace, Ch., &Tanen, D. (1987), The relation between Written and Spoken Language, Annual Review of Anthropology, vol 16, pp 383-407, https//www.jstore.org;