TIRANA, Jan 16 /ATA/ – The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Ina Zhupa said on Friday that the Academy of Sciences will be called to a parliamentary hearing over what she described as serious shortcomings in the newly drafted Albanian language dictionary.
Zhupa, who chairs parliament’s committee on Culture, Tourism and Diaspora, said the draft dictionary, prepared by the Academy of Sciences and recently released for public consultation, raises concerns over a lack of professionalism.
“It contains clear errors, discriminatory elements and inconsistencies with legal definitions of terms,” Zhupa said.
She stressed that language is the foundation of national culture, adding that a dictionary is not merely a list of words but a cultural, scientific and national act.
“For this reason, the Albanian language dictionary must be accurate, responsible and in line with the contemporary development of society,” she said.
Zhupa said the flaws and positions reflected in the draft dictionary cannot be overlooked and described them as deeply problematic.
The opposition lawmaker said she will seek a formal hearing with the Academy of Sciences to obtain professional explanations on how the dictionary was compiled.
Zhupa cited several examples she said illustrate poor-quality work and criticised what she described as discriminatory definitions of the words “boy” and “girl”, saying that in the new dictionary “boy” is associated with positive traits such as bravery and responsibility, while “girl” is accompanied by negative, offensive and morally judgmental descriptions.
“A dictionary cannot be ideological, prejudiced or careless toward linguistic history and identity,” Zhupa said. “It shapes thinking, educates generations and defines what is considered ‘correct Albanian’.”
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