On February 25, 1877, the renowned Austrian scholar and Albanologist, Prof. Dr. Norbert Jokli, was born. A philologist of Austro-Hungarian and Austrian descent with Jewish heritage, Jokli is recognized as one of the founding figures of Albanology. Before gaining prominence as an Albanologist, he was already esteemed as a scholar in Baltic-Slavic philology and served as the Chief Librarian (Oberstaatsbibliothekar) at the University of Vienna.
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| Norbert Jokli |
In his studies on historical grammar, he solidified Franz Bopp’s thesis on the Indo-European character of the Albanian language. He graduated with highest honors (“summa cum laude”) and was considered, even in his youth, as one of the most promising linguists of his time, particularly in the field of Indo-European languages.
Jokli’s scholarly focus shifted toward the Albanian language, conducting world-class research. Building upon the studies of Gustav Meyer and Holger Pedersen, Jokli classified Albanian as a continuation of Illyrian and Thracian. With the rise of Nazism in Austria, Jokli faced persecution due to his Jewish heritage. This ideological opposition to his background ultimately cost him his life. The General Directorate of Archives holds a series of correspondences with Jokli on various fields of Albanian cultural studies. He maintained close ties with prominent Albanian intellectuals of his time, such as Gjergj Fishta, Faik Konica, Aleksandër Xhuvani, Ernest Koliqi, and many others. In 1937, he visited Albania for the first and only time, where he was honored with the “Order of Skanderbeg” on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Albania’s independence.
Contributions to Albanology
Norbert Jokli was born in Bisenz, in Southern Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), the son of Heinrich and Emilie Haas. His older brother, Wilhelm, passed away in 1895 at the age of 21. Jokli completed his secondary education with excellent marks and enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna, where he graduated summa cum laude on June 23, 1901. After working briefly as a legal intern, he decided to dedicate himself to linguistics. He pursued studies in Indo-European linguistics, Slavic studies, and Romance languages, excelling in all fields.
In the autumn of 1903, Jokli began working as an intern at the University of Vienna’s library, where he remained until 1938. At the age of 30, he deepened his study of the Albanian language by attending courses taught by Gjergj Pekmezi, then a lecturer in Albanian at the University of Vienna. Later, he expanded his knowledge as an autodidact with the assistance of Albanian students in Vienna. By 1913, he became a Privatdozent in Indo-European Linguistics, specializing in Baltic, Slavic, and Albanian languages. In 1923, he was appointed Professor extraordinarius, and in 1937, he received the title of Hofrat. Jokli wrote extensively on Albanology, becoming a leading expert in the field.
In April 1933, after the death of paleontologist and Albanologist Franz Nopcsa, Jokli inherited his Albanological works. However, following Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, Jokli’s manuscripts began to be rejected, and he was no longer invited to conferences. On May 20, 1938, following Austria’s annexation (Anschluss) by Nazi Germany, Jokli was dismissed from his position and denied access to the university’s library. The Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Viktor Christian, attempted to prevent his dismissal, but his efforts were in vain. Later that year, Jokli applied for recognition as a “person of first-degree mixed blood” to regain library access, but his application was denied. Georg Solta, who later became a professor of Indo-European linguistics, frequently visited Jokli during these difficult years to maintain academic contact and further his studies.
Persecution and Tragic End
Aware of Jokli’s precarious situation, his former student Lasgush Poradeci appealed to the Albanian government to invite him to work in Albania, but the effort was disrupted by the Italian invasion of Albania. Later, Albanian authorities and Italian philologist Carlo Tagliavini also sought to bring Jokli to Albania, offering him employment and relocation along with his library.
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| Jokli in the middle and Poradeci in the right, Tirana, 1938 |
Honors and Legacy
On April 29, 1982, the Senate of the University of Vienna included Norbert Jokli’s name on its honor roll. Through diligent and continuous work, he managed to publish his seminal work, Studien zur albanesischen Etymologie und Wortbildung (Studies on Albanian Etymology and Word Formation). In this study, he paid special attention to the inherited Albanian lexicon: 101 pages are dedicated to native Albanian words, while 13 pages discuss borrowings. He demonstrated the indigenous origin of numerous words that Gustav Meyer had classified as loanwords. This work is considered one of the most significant achievements in Albanian linguistics after Meyer’s etymological dictionary.
Etymology was Jokli’s primary focus, but he also made significant contributions to morphology and word formation. In phonetics, he opened new avenues in the study of apophony and consonantism for the prehistoric period of the Albanian language. He had also been working on an etymological dictionary of Albanian based on Meyer’s dictionary, adding extensive annotations. Unfortunately, this work was lost after his deportation by the Nazis in 1942.
Jokli rendered an immense service to Albanology and its recognition worldwide. He was also a contributor to the Indogermanisches Jahrbuch (Indo-European Yearbook) from 1917 to 1940, where he conducted extensive bibliographic work, referencing the latest publications in Albanian studies. His legacy endures as a crucial foundation for Albanian linguistics and the broader field of Indo-European studies.