Language Identity in the Balkans Chapter 2 Serbo Croatian United or not we fall 2 0 Introduction The precarious language union Joint language for Serbs Croats and Montenegrins created in mid 19th c 1st Yugoslavia 1918 41 ethnic animosity between Serbs Croats 1941 Nazi puppet Independent State of Croatia proclaimed a pure non Serbian Croatian language Socialist Yugoslavia unified language was recreated as foundation for ethnic unity 2 0 Introduction The precarious language union cont d The language union of Serbo Croatian endured Centripetal forces on the level of Yugoslav federation reinforced by objective linguistic facts Centrifugal forces on the level of Yugoslav republics seeking autonomy and sharpening ethnic divisions 2 0 Introduction The precarious language union cont d External identity as seen from without as a single language was strong Internal identity as seen by rival ethnic groups was precarious Attempts to fortify linguistic identity have consistently failed The various ethnic groups were never able to consistently promote a single dialect Unity was undermined by compromises that did not satisfy all language planners 2 1 Models for unified languages Weak internal identity made it possible for language planners from rival groups to contest the norms dialect base and sociolinguistic structure of the language Pluricentricity when there are competing standard norms for a language Norwegian Chinese English Hindi Urdu Dutch Flemish Armenian 2 1 Models for unified languages cont d Contrastive self identification rival groups seek to differentiate themselves Bosnians declared the exsitence of a Bosnian language Croats emphasized unique Croatian features Serbs tried to prove that Serbs living in Croatia spoke differently from their Croat neighbors 2 1 Models for unified languages cont d Three language unity models Centrally monitored unity Government imposed unity Pluricentric unity 2 1 1 Centrally monitored unity A language academy state sponsored institute or government ministry bears responsibility for unity of standard language and also produces official grammars dictionaries and textbooks e g France 2 1 1 Centrally monitored unity cont d 1850 Vienna Literary Agreement established joint literary language for Serbs and Croats based on Southern dialect neo stokavian ijekavian the one dialect shared by all ethnic groups 1867 Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts Zagreb promoted unification of Yugoslav peoples by language By 1901 Academy had produced grammar dicitonaries orthographic manual 2 1 1 Centrally monitored unity cont d 1878 Serbian state gains independence 1886 Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts sanctioned Belgrade Novi Sad dialect competing with Zagreb norm Unity was possible when Serbia was weak and divided but once it gained independence pluricentrism and competition arose 2 1 2 Government imposed unity In totalitarian systems the head of state or a state ministry assumes direct control over language policy e g Stalin in USSR Franco in Spain 2 1 2 Government imposed unity cont d 1918 29 Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes suffered constant crises 1929 King Alexander renamed it Kingdom of Yugoslavia and attempted to do away with traditional ethnic identifications to create unity Croats feared that this meant they would be absorbed by Serbs for them Yugoslavism Serbian agenda 2 1 2 Government imposed unity cont d New regime sought to enforce language unity 1930 Belic s orthographic manual decreed by Kingdom s Ministry of Education King was assassinated and Croatian orthographic manual was permitted Language policies imposed in both Fascist Independent State of Croatia and Tito s Yugoslavia Tito s Yugoslavia is pluricentric with two standards 2 1 3 Pluricentric unity States with more than one cultural center with a literature and or language norm e g Dano Norwegian New Norwegian also language equal rights in Spain varieties of German and Chinese Serbo Croatian initial standardization reversed centuries of natural Abstand development for Orthodox vs Catholics 2 1 3 Pluricentric unity cont d 1954 Novi Sad Agreement attempt to formalize linguistic brotherhood unity agreed on compromise and tolerance of local varieties 1974 Federal Constitution allowed local varieties to gain official status in constituent republics Croatian Western variant Serbian Eastern variant Bosnia Herzegovinian Montenegrin BUT every step towards unity aroused controversy and ethnic rivalry 2 2 Controversies connected with Serb Croat language accords Two significant controversial language conferences 1850 Vienna Literary Agreement Dedicated largely to status planning not specific linguistic points Promoted unified standard for Serbs and Croats despite fact that there was no precedent for normative works 1954 Nov Sad Agreement Revision of 1850 Agreement Considered many specific points 2 2 1 The Literary Agreement 1850 Prior to 1850 the Croatian and Serbian literary languages had been diverging Croats used a variety of dialects Serbs wrote in artificial Slaveno Serbian Literary Agreement came about as a historical coincidence because the agendas of language reformers Croat Ljudevit Gaj 1809 72 and Serb Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic 1787 1864 overlapped 2 2 1 The Literary Agreement 1850 cont d Croat Ljudevit Gaj 1809 72 Leader of Illyrian Movement to preserve Croatian rights within Hungary lay basis for Croatian and pan South Slavic unity Illyrian South Slavic Sought to unify Croatian Latin orthography and elevate Dubrovnik Stokavian dialect 2 2 1 The Literary Agreement 1850 cont d Serb Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic 1787 1864 Independently proposed a reform of Serbian based on essentially the same SW dialect as Gaj Collected folk songs wrote grammar and dictionary 1818 Believed that literary language should be based on vernacular Introduced simplified orthography 2 2 1 The Literary Agreement 1850 cont d Contents of Agreement Better to elevate a dialect to literary status than have an artificial standard Southern dialect is the literary standard Velar fricative h is always written a compromise for Vuk since his usage omits it Velar fricative h is not used in Gpl of nouns Syllabic r is written simply as r prst 2 2 1 The Literary Agreement 1850 cont d The Agreement was not a binding document Vuk and others on both sides signed it but Gaj did not and was lukewarm about it Serb and Croat linguists vukovci worked at Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb to create joint literary language 2 2 1