Tradita e shkrimit të shqipes dhe “Formula e pagëzimit”
THE WRITING TRADITION OF ALBANIAN LANGUAGE AND “THE FORMULA OF BAPTISM”

Summary/Abstract: The beginnings of writing of the Albanian Language dates back to the 15th century. Prior this century, there are only some data which make us think that Albanian might have been written even before. Anyhow, the “Formula of Baptism” of the year 1462 remains the first document written in the Albanian language known until now. It can be regarded as the first spark of an intellectual movement of Albanians to transform the Albanian language, until then only a spoken popular language, into a written language and to introduce it in the religion ceremonies. By comparison with other Albanian documents of the 15th century, the “Formula of Baptism” is the most important one because it is the first one and because it is written on the initiative and under the care of an outstanding personality of the time, Pal Engjëlli, archibichop of Durrës. The “Formula of Baptism”, put down in Albanian writing on November 8, 1462 at the ecclesiastical Convention of Mat, must have been used before in the spoken language of the people of the region of the country. It is written in the Mat idiom, in Latin alphabet. It has been discovered

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