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Article published In: Language, conflict and security
Edited by Roberta Medda-Windischer and Andrea Carlà
[Language Problems and Language Planning 46:2] 2022
► pp. 146–170

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The legal status of languages / ‘languages’ that emerged from Serbo-Croatian

Destabilizing effects of the provisions on the official language

 | European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
Published online: 17 November 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00090.djo
Abstract
With the break-up of Yugoslavia, and following the ideology of nationalism and the aspired match between state, nation, and language, Serbo-Croatian fragmented into four languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian. The paper deals with the legal aspects of the fragmentation of Serbo-Croatian in the four countries concerned, exploring the impacts of provisions relating to the official language on the status of the languages in question and their speakers. The central argument is that by fully ignoring mutual intelligibility (or even the same linguistic foundation) between the four languages, the legal provisions are inadequate to deal with this specific linguistic situation; in essence, they are intolerant and exclusive (thus underpinning ethnic divisions in the region), and they also lead to some trivial situations such as ‘translation’ in official communications. The paper pleads for a more sophisticated approach, which while acknowledging the symbolic aspects of language and existing ethnic diversity, at the same time is able to accommodate the linguistic reality.
Sažetak
Prateći ideologiju nacionalizma i poželjnu simfoniju države, nacije i jezika, raspadom Jugosla­vije rasparčao se i srpskohrvtaski jezik. Umesto jednog sada su na sceni četiri jezika: bosanski, hrvatski, crnogorski i srpski. Rad se bavi pravnim aspektima fragmentacije srpskohrvatskog jezika, istražujući uticaje odredaba o službenom jeziku u četiri zemlje na status dotičnih jezika i njihovih govornika. Centralni argument je da potpunim ignorisanjem međusobne razumljivosti (ili čak iste lingvističke osnove) između četiri jezika, pravne odredbe ne korespondiraju na pravi način sa jezičkom situacijom, netolerantne su i isključive (čime se podupiru etničke podele u regionu), a dovode i do nekih apsurda poput ‘prevođenja’ u službenoj komunikaciji. Rad poziva na prihvatanje sofisticiranijeg pristupa, kojim bi se uz poštovanje simboličkog aspekta jezika i uvažavanje etničkih razlika, istovremeno prihvatila i jezička realnost.
Resumo
Sekve de la malintegriĝo de Jugoslavio, kaj laŭ la ideologio de naciismo kaj ties aspirata kongruo inter ŝtato, nacio kaj lingvo, la serbokroata diseriĝis en kvar lingvojn: la bosnian, kroatan, montenegran kaj serban. La nuna prezento traktas la jurajn aspektojn de tiu diseriĝo de la serbokroata en la kvar koncernaj landoj, esplorante la efikojn de la postuloj rilataj al la oficiala lingvo sur la statuson de tiuj lingvoj kaj iliaj parolantoj. La kerna argumento estas, ke, per kompleta ignorado de interkompreneblo (aŭ eĉ de la sama lingva fundamento) inter la kvar lingvoj, la juraj postuloj ne estas adekvataj por fronti tiun ĉi specifan lingvan situacion. Ili estas esence netoleremaj kaj ekskluzivaj (tiel subtenante etnajn dividiĝojn en la regiono), kaj ili ankaŭ kondukas al bagatelaj situacioj kiel ekzemple “tradukado” en oficialaj komunikoj. La referaĵo pledas por pli nuancita aliro, kiu, agnoskante la simbolajn aspektojn de lingvoj kaj la ekzistantan etnan diversecon, samtempe kapablas akomodiĝi al la lingva realeco.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • A brief outline of the language situation
  • Language as a constitutional issue
    • Croatia
    • Serbia
    • Montenegro
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Legal provisions on language between protection and exclusion
  • A lesson from Slovakia
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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