The Handling of Adjectives as Part of the Narrative in the Work "King of Gians" by Kole Jakove

Introduction

An adjective, as a variable part of speech, is often encountered in literary works. In literature, it is mainly used in the form of an epithet. Various authors, such as Dritëro Agolli, have used epithets to emotionally charge their works. Thus, unlike other parts of speech, an adjective in literature is in most cases used intentionally, that is, to give it an artistic dimension. An adjective is a variable part of speech since it changes its form when used in a sentence.

A distinctive feature of the adjective is that it agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it is connected to. Adjectives can be declinable or indeclinable.

Adjectives, unlike nouns, have only two genders: masculine and feminine. The same adjective takes different forms when it defines a masculine or feminine noun. The masculine gender is considered the representative form of the adjective, since it also forms the opposite gender, the feminine one.

Adjectives also have singular and plural forms. There is a difference in the way the singular and plural are formed for both genders, as well as for nouns that are declinable and indeclinable. Adjectives also have four degrees: comparative of equality, comparative of inferiority, relative superlative, and absolute superlative. Due to the widespread presence of adjectives in literature, it is understandable that even the author Kolë Jakova could not avoid the use of adjectives.

Short Notes About the Writer Kolë Jakova

Kolë Jakova was born in 1916 in Shkodër, Albania. Kolë Jakova produced a large number of works, both for children and adults. The works belong to different literary genres, such as stories, dramas, and novels. Some of Kola Jakova's literary works are: Si naltësohet katundi (1945) (Jakova K. , Si naltësohet katundi , 1945), (Jakova K. , Halili dhe Hajrija , 1950)(1950), (Jakova K. , Heronjtë e vigut , 1953)(1953), Toka Jonë (1953) (Jakova K. , Toka jonë, 1953), Flladi i Tetorit (1956) (Jakova K. , Flladi i tetorit, 1956), Dhitë e egra (1958), Kopshti i lulzuem (1958) (Jakova K. , Kopshti i lulzuem , 1958), Briarta (1963), Qiriu i fundit (1963), Mbreti i divave (1964) (Jakova K. , Mbreti i divave , 1964), (Jakova K. , Garda krutane , 1967)(1967), (Jakova K. , Vjersha të zgjedhura për fëmijë , 1974)(1974), (Jakova K. , Bashkë me agimin , 1975)(1975), Trimi Vatë Luli (1990) etc.

The main field in which Kolë Jakova made a special contribution is dramaturgy. “Toka Jonë”, “Përkolgjinajt”, “Lugajanet” are just some of the well-known plays written by this author. He passed away in 2002, leaving behind a great number of works. (Jakova, 2015).

A brief analysis of the plot of "Mbreti i divave"

"Mbreti i divave" is a prose work by the author Kolë Jakova, published for the first time in 1964. The plot is based on a legend that says that more than a thousand years ago, in the Albanian lands there was a tribe of divas. The divi was considered a very big, strong, and powerful man. The divas lived in great forts and ruins, traces of which exist to this day. The divas fought against the enemy, namely the Turks and other foes, who aimed to conquer the Albanian lands. This tribe was led by a person known as the King of Divas (Mbreti i divave). One legend says that the tribe was led by a single king, who lived a long time and for 100 years waged numerous wars against the enemy, in which he was never defeated. Other legends say that the tribe was led by several kings, who were mortal and long-lived like all other people. After the death of one, power was taken by another.

This work by the author Kolë Jakova, which is part of the long story genre, illustrates the fact that Albanians have had a sensational history, with many acts of heroism, but this history has not been documented as much as it should have been, so it has been written by others—foreigners who did not care to present it accurately. Therefore, precious objects should be preserved and written about from generation to generation, as they are part of the glorious history of the Albanian people.

Adjective – Grammatical Characteristics

Adjectives are words that indicate the type or property of a noun. (Syla, 2010)

Examples: qen i zi (black dog), qen i vogël (small dog), ushtria shqiptare (Albanian army), qeveria franceze (French government).

The adjective agrees in number, gender and case with the noun it is connected to. This is illustrated by the following examples (Syla, 2010).

Table 1. Agreement in number, gender and case

Adjectives in the Albanian language are divided into two large groups:

Declinable Adjectives and

Indeclinable Adjectives (Syla, 2010).

Table 2. Declinable and indeclinable adjectives

Gender of Adjectives

Adjectives (unlike nouns) have both masculine and feminine genders (Beci, 2006).

Table 3. Gender of adjectives

The same adjective can take different forms when modifying a masculine noun as opposed to a feminine noun (Beci, 2006):

Table 4. Masculine and feminine nouns

The form of the masculine gender is the representative form of adjective, from which the form of the feminine gender is also formed.

The Formation of the Feminine Gender

Declinable adjectives take the feminine form in two ways (Petro, R., Pepivani, N., & Çerpja, A. , 2009).

By changing the front clitic -e to -I, for example:

Table 5a. The formation of feminine gender

In this way, all declinable adjectives form the feminine: i bukur – e bukur, i pastër – e pastër, i thatë – e thatë. Exceptions to this rule are adjectives ending in m(ë): i epërm – e epërme, as well as i lig – e ligë, i ri – e re, i zi – e zezë, i zoti – e zonja, i pazoti – e pazonja.

By changing the proclitic i to e and taking the ending -e, for example:

Table 5b. The formation of feminine gender

This is how adjectives ending in -m (ë) form the feminine gender: i sotëm – e sotme, i djeshëm – e djeshme, i vjetshëm – e vjetshme, i ndjeshëm – e ndjeshme, etc. This also includes the adjectives: i kuq – e kuqe, i madh – e madhe, i keq – e keqe.

Indeclinable adjectives form the feminine gender in two ways (Petro, R., Pepivani, N., & Çerpja, A. , 2009):

• By adding the suffix -e to masculine adjectives, such as:

Table 5c. Formation of feminine gender

Djalë trim Vajzë trime Akt heroik Ngjarje heroike Kampionat kombëtar Konferencë kombëtare This is how adjectives like normal – normale, dinak – dinake, absolut – absolute, fizike – fizike, etc., take the feminine form. It is the same for both masculine and feminine: djalë zemërmirë – vajzë zemërmirë. This is how adjectives like flokëgështenjë, sypishë, zemërhekur, gojëmjaltë etj take the feminine form. The number of adjectives The adjective as a variable part of speech has two numbers: singular and plural. The plural number is formed from the singular. There is a difference in the way that declinable and indeclinable adjectives of both genders form the plural. Nominative masculine adjectives form the plural in two ways (Petro, R., Pepivani, N., & Çerpja, A. , 2009): By changing the clitic i to të: djalë i mirë – djem të mirë. This is how the plural is formed in most adjectives: Table 6. The number of adjectives

Adjectives like i keq – të këqinj (këqij), i lig – të ligj, i madh – të mëdhenj, i vogël – të vegjël, i ri – të rinj, i zi – të zinj are excluded.

Indeclinable masculine adjectives take the plural form in two ways:

The same as the singular: zmadhues, krijues, toskë, gegë, for example: xham zmadhues – xhama zmadhues.

By taking the ending – ë, for example: përparimtar – përparimtarë, malor – malorë, popullor – popullorë, industrial – industrial

Declinable feminine adjectives take the plural form:

By changing the clitic e of the singular to të: e kuqe – të kuqe, e sjellshme – të sjellshme, si për shembull: vajzë e sjellshme – vajza të sjellshme

By changing the clitic e in the singular to të in the plural and taking the ending a, for example: e egër – të egra, e lartë – të larta, e bardhë – të bardha, e mirë – të mira.

Indeclinable feminine adjectives take the plural form in two ways:

By keeping the singular form, i.e., without changing its form, such as shqiptare, franceze, fshatare, qytetare, malore, shembullore; for example, një grua shqiptare – disa gra shqiptare.

Adjective formation

According to the way they are formed, adjectives can be (Syla, 2010):

Table 7. Adjective formation

Degrees of Adjectives

Two or more nouns can have a feature or quality to varying degrees. To express the change in degree, adjectives have special monosyllabic or periphrastic forms, such as e bukur, po aq e bukur, shumë e bukur, më pak e bukur, etc. (Beci, 2006). These forms that express quality are known as adjective degrees. Adjectives in the Albanian language have three degrees: affirmative, comparative and superlative (Beci, 2006).

As the name suggests, the affirmative degree simply indicates or affirms the true quality of the thing it refers to. Thus, the affirmative degree names the quality of the thing in its ordinary measure, as, for example (Beci, 2006):

Rrush i ëmbël.

The adjective in the comparative degree shows the quality of a thing to a greater extent or to a higher, lower, or the same degree, compared to the same quality of another thing, for example (Beci, 2006):

Eda është më e vogël se Jara.

Thus, the comparison may indicate equality of qualities (po aq i thellë), a higher degree (më e madhe), or a lower degree (më e vogël).

As can be seen from the examples given above, the particle më is usually used before the adjective in the comparative degree, while the conjunction se or the preposition nga is used before the second term of the comparison.

In the superlative degree, the quality of the noun is indicated to the highest degree, for example:

Noari është shumë i zoti.

This degree is formed by attaching adverbs of quality to the adjective, such as shumë, tepër, mjaft, jashtëzakonisht.

Comparative Degree Formation

The adjective in the Albanian language has three degrees of comparison:

1. The Comparative Degree of Equality

2. The Comparative Degree of Relative Superlative

3. The Comparative Degree of Absolute Superlative And

4. Degree of inferiority (Beci, 2006).

The comparative degree of equality is formed by placing adverbs in front of the adjective: aq (po aq), kaq. The second part of the comparison is preceded by the conjunctions sa and si.

Examples:

Ishte aq i lodhur si të kishte punuar tërë ditën.

Vrana Konti ishte po aq trim dhe po aq i Zoti sa Skënderbeu (ose kaq trim dhe i zoti sa...).

Other forms can also be used, such as:

Ishin sa trima, aq edhe krenarë.

In this example, the adverb and the conjunction have changed places.

The comparative degree of the relative superlative is formed by placing the particle më before the adjective, for example:

Qyteti dukej më i bukur se (sesa) herët tjera.

Beni ishte më i zgjuar se (sesa) të tjerët.

The comparative degree of the absolute superlative, in terms of form, is the same as the degree of the relative superlative, but in this case, the adjective is substantivized, for example:

Beni ishte më i zgjuari, por më i vështiri.

The comparative degree of inferiority is formed by placing the adverb pak (më pak) before the adjective in the comparative degree:

Agimi ishte më pak i zgjuar se Beni.

Superlative Degree Formation

The superlative degree is formed by putting adverbs before the adjective, such as akull, mjaltë, dyllë, qumësht, flakë etc., as, for example, in (Agalliu, F., Angoni, E., Demiraj, Sh., & Likaj, E., 2002):

Ishte akull i ftohtë.

Ishte mjaltë e ëmbël.

Ishtë bërë flakë e kuqe.

Nominalization of Adjectives

It often happens that adjectives are nominalized, that is, used as nouns. When used in this way, they serve to name objects or people that also have the quality expressed by these adjectives, such as:

I duruari, i fituari.

E reja nuk fiton pa vështirësi.

When nominalized, the adjective takes the grammatical categories of the noun, i.e., gender, number, case, and form. When used like this, it forms a category of its own, just like any other noun (Agalliu, F., Angoni, E., Demiraj, Sh., & Likaj, E., 2002).

In most cases, nominalized adjectives are used when we do not want to repeat the noun that is mentioned together with an adjective, such as:

Gazetën e sotme e lexova por të djeshmen (=gazetën e djeshme) nuk e gjeta.

Nominalized adjectives of this type, in certain contexts, serve as nouns. There are many nominalized adjectives that are consistently used as nouns. These are nouns of adjectival origin that name notions which were absent in proper nouns, such as: e drejta, e vërteta, e ardhmja, e shkuara, e verdha (e vezës), të ardhurat, të korrurat etc. Such are also neuter nouns of adjectival origin, such as: të kuqet (e fytyrës), të ftohtët, të nxehtët etc. (Agalliu, F., Angoni, E., Demiraj, Sh., & Likaj, E., 2002).

Using the Adjective as an Epithet

In literature, it is very common to use a defining word that is added to a noun to enrich its meaning and give it artistic beauty. This defining word, which is usually an adjective, is known as an epithet. In addition to giving artistic beauty and enriching the meaning of the noun, it is also used to express an assessment and an attitude of the author, and in most cases, to highlight a characteristic aspect of the author’s style.

In general, epithets are actually metaphors that are expressed through an adjective. However, an epithet can also be expressed through nouns, adverbs, participles, etc. Not all adjectives can be considered epithets. There are cases such as the phrase zemra e bardhë (the white heart), where the adjective e bardhë is an epithet because it is used figuratively, that is, it does not indicate color (because the heart cannot be white), but indicates figuratively presented qualities. The epithet is encountered more often in poetry, as it carries an emotional charge and directly affects the reader's feelings. In this way, the poem sounds more beautiful and resonant.

The writer Dritëro Agolli stands out for using the stylistic figure of the epithet. For example, in the poem Pulëbardha, he has used adjectives and epithets several times to increase the emotion that comes from his verses. He describes, for instance, the sand as wet (të lagur) and moist (të njomë), the brittle stone (e brishtë), and the white wings (krahët e bardhë). The last two adjectives are epithets because they are used figuratively to indicate quality. Some examples of epithets:

Dhelpra dinake. (sly fox)

Beni këmbëshpejti. (Beni fast-feet)

Dielli i qeshur.(The smiling sun)

Retë e mërzitura.(Upset clouds)

Toka e zezë.(Black Soil)

Brief Compositional Overview of the Work "Mbreti I Divave" by Kola Jakova

What is noticeable in the first part of the work is that there is no description either of the characters or of the place where the events unfold. Thus, it seems that the author has focused more on the communication between the characters (what they do and say) than on what they are. However, there are also epithets here and there for the characters, such as çapkën (naughty) for Agron, Rizai, and Pashuku, or vajza e qeshur me sy si xixa (the smiling girl with eyes like sparks) for Shpresa. These characterizations help to profile the child protagonists of the work to some extent. For teacher Suzi and Uncle Leka, we have not come across any specific epithets or qualities. The only information that the author provides about teacher Suzi is that she wore glasses and was a schoolteacher, while about Uncle Leka, that he was an old man in his seventies and that he liked fishing, so he was a fisherman.

In the first part, the narrative has a flowing and not syntactically convoluted structure. The author remains faithful to the creation of a narrative that simply reflects the dynamics of several eleven-year-old children during a day spent at a summer camp.

Adjective in the Work "Mbreti I Divave"

Qualitative Analysis

In the work "Mbreti i Divave" by the well-known author Kolë Jakova, the adjective as a variable part of speech appears more in its variety than in its quantity. Thus, in terms of quantity, we do not encounter that many adjectives, but rather a variety of adjective types used in this long story by the author.

In the following, several paragraphs excerpted from the work will be described, and the adjectives used in them will be underlined. Paragraphs will be numbered for easy reference if needed.

... Çdo gjë u rregullua për bukuri. Çadrat ditore u vunë nën një rrap të madh afër lumit, ku kishte dhe pellgje të cekëta dhe rërë sa të duash. Disa fëmijë e merrnin bukën me vete, disa të tjerë shkonin e hanin nëpër shtëpia, se i kishin afër. Si perëndonte dielli ktheheshin të gjithë së bashku me mësuesen e tyre [p1].

... Everything was arranged beautifully. The tents were pitched under a large tree near the river, where there were also shallow pools and as much sand as you wanted. Some children took the meal with them, some others went and ate it at their houses, because they were close. As the sun set, they all returned together with their teacher [p1].

In this excerpted paragraph, the author provides an overview of the environment where the children, together with their teacher, had decided to set up their day camp to spend the summer holidays. This environment consists of a plane tree (a tall tree with a thick trunk and wide branches), which is near the river with shallow pools and plenty of sand.

In this excerpted paragraph, we encounter the use of two adjectives:

të madh (big) is a declinable adjective, masculine, singular.

të cekëta (shallow) is a declinable adjective, feminine, plural.

... Si mërziteshin duke u larë, duke zënë peshq të vegjël me shamia, fillonin të spërkateshin me ujë. Pashuku e rrihte kaq bukur ujin me dorë, sa gjithë uji i shkonte shkulm dhe i binte në turi Agronit dhe Rizajit. Këta s’e bënin dot një gjë të tillë, por merrnin ujin me grusht dhe ia hidhnin Pashukut ashtu si mundnin [p2].

... When they got bored while bathing, catching small fish with handkerchiefs, they started splashing themselves with water. Pashuku beat the water so beautifully with his hand, that all the water went straight to him and fell on the faces of Agron and Rizaji. They could not do such a thing, but took the water with their fists and threw it to Pashuku as they could [p2].

In this excerpted paragraph, the author informs us of the skills and "adventures" of three of the protagonists of the work in the camp they set up. From this, it is understood that Pashuku, Agron and Rizaj are good friends, as they play together and tease each other in different ways. One has skills that the others do not, which shows that the boys, despite being different, have a friendship that keeps them connected.

In this paragraph, we encounter two adjectives:

Të vegjël (Small) – declinable adjective, masculine, plural.

Kaq bukur (So beautiful) – superlative adjective.

...- Më duket se të rashë me një gur të zi, - iu përgjegj Agroni me sy përdhe. – Jo, nuk ishte gur. Ishte diçka më e rëndë se guri. Kur më ra gishtave, kujtova se m’i këputi. – Edhe mua m’u duk i rëndë – iu përgjegj Agroni. – Bile m’u duk se kishte kokë njeriu. Desha ta përmbaj dorën kur e pashë, por nga hovi që kisha marrë, s’e përmbajta dot. [p3]

...- I think I hit you with a black stone, - Agroni replied with downcast eyes. - No, it was not a stone. It was something heavier than stone. When it fell on my fingers, I thought it snapped them. - It seemed heavy to me too - Agroni replied. - It even seemed to me that it had a human head. I wanted to contain my hand when I saw it, but because of the shock I had received, I couldn't. [p3]

In this paragraph, the author narrates an incident between Pashuku and Agron, in which the latter hit him with a heavy stone, which injured Pashuku's fingers. However, this incident happened unintentionally and unconsciously, which is shown by the last sentence of the paragraph, where Agron, after seeing the size of the stone, wanted to contain his hand, but then he could not restrain himself.

There are three adjectives in this paragraph:

Të zi (black) – declinable adjective, masculine, singular.

Më e rëndë se (heavier than) – adjective in the comparative degree of relative superiority.

I rëndë (heavy) – declinable adjective, masculine, singular.

Vërtet? – tha Pashuku i çuditur. – Të vemi ta kërkojmë. Unë e di vendin. E ç’na hyn në punë, o Pashuk, - iu përgjegj Agroni i mërzitur. – Mua më vjen keq që të sakatova dorën. [p4]

Really? - said Pashuku surprised. - Let's look for it. I know the place. And what does it matter to us, Pashuk, - Agron replied annoyed. - I'm sorry that I hurt your hand. [p4]

This paragraph is a continuation of the third paragraph [p3]. It shows Pashuku's surprise after Agron had told him about the shape of the stone that had hit him. Interested in that stone, Pashuku asks Agron to go find it. It is precisely this stone, which the boys will go after, that becomes the catalyst for the development of the events in the story.

In this paragraph, two adjectives are used:

I çuditur (surprised) – declinable adjective, masculine, affirmative degree, singular.

I mërzitur (upset) – declinable adjective, masculine, affirmative degree, singular.

...Kjo ngjarje kishte ndodhur para një jave. Fëmijët e kishin tërhequr dajën në breg megjithë peshk. Ata ishin frikësuar, kur kishin parë një peshk aq të madh, që hapte gojën sikur do t’i hante. Pastaj, kishte ardhur një polic dhe e kishte vrarë peshkun me automatik. Që atë ditë, ndërmjet fëmijëve të kampit dhe dajë Lekës ishte lidhur një miqësi e ngushtë. [p5]

...This event happened a week ago. The children had pulled their uncle ashore with the fish. They were scared when they saw such a big fish, which opened its mouth as if it was going to eat them. Then, a policeman came and killed the fish with a machine gun. From that day, a close friendship was established between the children of the camp and Uncle Leka. [p5]

There are two adjectives encountered in this paragraph:

Aq të madh (so great) – declinable adjective, masculine, comparative degree of equality.

E ngushtë (close/narrow) – mbiemer i nyjshem, declinable adjective, feminine, singular, affirmative.

The adjective " e ngushtë " (narrow/close) can also be considered an epithet, as it is used figuratively to describe a friendship with mutual affective exchange between the persons involved. Thus, it is a friendship where friends worry and care deeply about each other's well-being.

...Sot më keni çuditë o fëmijë – pëshpëriti si nëpër dhëmbë, daja. Dukej shumë i mallëngjyer se edhe zëri i doli si i dridhur. – Më sollët nëpër mend kohërat e fëmijërisë. Më bëtë të kujtoj gjyshen time. E shkreta, sa grua e mirë ka qenë! E besoni se këtë gjë e kam pasur në dorë kur isha i vogël shtatë vjeç? [p6]

...Today you have surprised me, children - the uncle whispered through his teeth. He looked so sad that even his voice came out as trembling. - You reminded me of my childhood. You reminded me of my grandmother. What a good woman she was! Can you believe I had this thing in my hand when I was a little seven-year-old? [p6]

This is among the paragraphs with the largest number of adjectives, with each paragraph having an adjective. Uncle Leka's longing is shown here after he sees the object that the children found in the river where they bathed during summer camp. This was the head of a man who had two horns and was black in color, so the children named him 'black-head'. In fact, this was the head of the suicidal king of divas! The uncle had this object in his hands when he was very young. In this paragraph, the uncle expresses longing and surprise that the object has not changed in shape and size after so many years.

Five adjectives are used in this paragraph:

I mallëngjyer, i vogël (Sad, little) - declinable adjectives, masculine, singular, affirmative.

E mirë (Good) - declinable adjective, feminine, singular, affirmative.

Si i dridhur (As shivering) – declinable adjective, masculine, singular number, comparative degree of equality.

... – Ai është vend i pazbuluar si duhet – vazhdoi Suzi. Kushedi çfarë thesaresh ruhen ende aty për historinë e vendit tonë. Por, shumë gjëra i kanë vjedhur të huajtë në të kaluarën. Në kohën e turkut dhe të Zogut fshatarët shkonin e gërmonin nëpër varre të vjetra dhe gjenin para bakri, argjendi dhe ari. Gjenin stoli grash, qemerë, vathë, bylyzykë. Gjenin thika, shpata, parzmore dhe gjithfarë objektesh të ndryshme. Këto gjëra shkonin dhe i shitnin për pak para te konsulli i Austrisë ose te jezuitët. Kështu, një pjesë e kësaj pasurie ka shkuar jashtë e nuk i dihet fati. [p7]

... - It is a place not properly discovered - continued Suzi. Who knows what treasures are still stored there for the history of our country. But many things have been stolen by foreigners in the past. In the time of Turks and Zogu, villagers went and dug in old graves and found copper, silver and gold coins. They found women's ornaments, vaults, earrings, bracelets. They found knives, swords, armor and all sorts of different objects. They sold these things for a little money to the Austrian consul or to the Jesuits. Thus, a part of this wealth has gone abroad and its fate is unknown. [p7]

The following adjective is found in this paragraph:

I pazbuluar (Undiscovered) – derived adjective with prefix, masculine gender, singular number

... Të vjetrit thonë se në anët tona, në Shurdhah, Gushtë, Koman e përpjetë kanë pasur mbretërinë e tyre divat. Div domethënë njeri shumë i madh e i fuqishëm. Të tillë njerëz ishin divat, që sundonin në ato vende.

... The old people say that on our territories, in Shurdhah, Gushtë, Koman and above, divas had their kingdom. Div means a very big and powerful man. Such people were the divas, who ruled in those countries.

The adjectives encountered in this part are:

Shumë i madh (Very large) – declinable adjective, masculine gender, superlative degree.

I fuqishëm (Powerful) – declinable adjective, masculine, affirmative.

Quantitative Analysis

In this section, all the adjectives that are used in the work "Mbreti i Divave" will be presented quantitatively, that is, which types of adjectives are encountered in the examined paragraphs and how many times they occur.

Table 8. The number of adjectives used in the excerpted paragraphs from the work "Mbreti i divave"

In this table, it can be seen that in the paragraphs taken from the work "Mbreti i Divave", the use of declinable adjectives dominates. These adjectives appear 13 times, or in 87% of the cases, in the examined paragraphs. Adjectives of the masculine gender appear 9 times. Adjectives of the feminine gender appear 6 times. Singular adjectives number seven in total, while plural adjectives number three in total.

Also, the author has used only one epithet, the adjective e ngushtë (narrow/close), when talking about the friendship between Uncle Leka and the children. The author has used an adjective in the comparative degree of equality, while the use of adjectives in the affirmative degree dominates. The author has also used an adjective in the comparative degree of relative superiority.

Conclusion

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the adjective, as a variable part of speech, and to observe how much it is used in the work "Mbreti i Divave" by the well-known Albanian author Kolë Jakova. For this purpose, a theoretical basis was first established.

In this paper, among other things, it was shown that morphology classifies parts of speech into two large groups: variable and invariable. The adjective belongs to the group of variable parts because it changes form when used in a sentence. The adjective agrees with the noun it is related to in number, gender, and case. These also form the grammatical features of the adjective that were discussed in the second chapter. Thus, the adjective has case, number, gender, and degree.

In this work, the author has also used an epithet, e.g., the adjective e ngushtë (narrow/close), when talking about the friendship that exists between the children and Uncle Leka. A friendship cannot be narrow or wide, but the author uses this adjective to symbolize a pure and close friendship that was formed, especially after the children had saved Uncle Leka from drowning while fishing.

Through the work "Mbreti i Divave", the author Kolë Jakova conveys a very valuable message: to preserve our identifying monuments, to study and research more about the history and customs of our ancestors, and to develop Albanian culture by passing on the country’s and ancestors’ legacy to new generations.

References