On the Relation between Linguistics and Literature in the Teaching of the Albanian Language and Literature

Abstract

The relation between linguistics and literature in the teaching of the Albanianlanguage and literature in our schools has constantly been in the focus of many researchers and educators alike. As a very tangible issue affecting two key subjects in the education and training of our students (because of the indispensable role they play in our students'cultural, intellectual and civic education), it has been for years the subject of considerable debate academic or otherwise, on different levels and by various groups of the society,from linguist and educator roundtables to forums of teachers of language and literature,to other stakeholder groups in the society. In the course of these discussions, however,the argument has often been reduced to an oversimplified 'shadow' of itself, treating it asa mere matter of a relation between language and literature in teaching. In spite of thereal and objective foundation underpinning it (literature is created and developed through language and the teaching of language is based on models of writing from literature),it still seems that the bearings have been lost and the focus has shifted from the real problem. Indeed, literature is conceived through language and language means, but it has admittedly a special way of organizing linguistic messages, characterized by literality, which distinguishes them from other ways of organizing linguistic messages that are commonin any school environment. This is precisely why it is essential that we use and exploitthe knowledge acquired through subjects such as linguistics or discourse studies in the examination and decoding of the message of literary texts.