There are three primary dialects spoken in Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they are named after the word for what: A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ...

• Čakavian (čakavski) uses the word ča
• Kajkavian (kajkavski), kaj
• Štokavian (štokavski), što or šta.

These dialects were used to form the standard languages: Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian, and in the past Serbo-Croatian. Other related dialects, such as Burgenland Croatian and Torlakian (torlački), are outside of this classification. Chakavian (Čakavian, čakavski) dialect is one of the three dialects of Croatian language. ... Kajkavian (kajkavski) dialect is one of the three dialects of Croatian language. ... Shtokavian (Štokavian, štokavski) is the primary dialect of the Central South Slavic languages system, Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian. ... The Serbian language or Serb language is one of the standard versions of the Central-South Slavic diasystem, formerly (and still frequently) called Serbo-Croatian. ... Serbo-Croatian (srpskohrvatski or hrvatskosrpski) is a name for a language of the Western group of the South Slavic languages. ...

Furthermore, there are three ways of rendering the Proto-Slavic vowel jat. Čakavian mainly uses i, Kajkavian mainly uses e while the Štokavian dialect is broken down into a secondary subdivision based on whether ije or e is used. Yat or Jat (, ) is the 32nd letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet and of the sound represented by it. ...

Although most linguists nowadays consider Štokavian, Čakavian, and Kajkavian as three dialects of one common language, there is a basis for considering the three as distinct tongues.
However, since there are no clear-cut criteria for distinguishing a language from a dialect, and dialects are usually described in reference to standard languages, the notion of a diasystem is frequently used instead of Serbo-Croatian. In linguistics, a diasystem is a term used in structural dialectology, to refer to a single genetic language which has two or more standard forms. ...

History

Each of these primary and secondary dialectical units break down into subdialects and accents by region. In the past, it was not uncommon for individual villages to have some of their own words and phrases. However, throughout the twentieth century the various dialects have been strongly influenced by the Štokavian standards through mass media and public education, and much of the "local color" has been lost.

With the breakup of Yugoslavia, nationalism has also caused many, especially in Bosnia and Hercegovina, to modify their speech, or even attempt to change dialects entirely. The various wars have also caused mass migrations, and changed the ethnic makeup of some areas, especially in Bosnia, but also in Croatia and Serbia, especially in Vojvodina. In some areas it is unclear whether location or ethnicity is now the dominant factor in the dialect of the speaker. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ...

Because of these forces, the speech patterns of some communities and regions are in a state of flux, and it is difficult to determine which dialects will die out entirely. Further research over the next few decades will be necessary to determine the changes made in the dialectical distribution of the language.

Rendering of yat

The Proto-Slavic vowel jat has changed over time and is now being rendered in three different ways: Yat or Jat (, ) is the 32nd letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet and of the sound represented by it. ... Yat or Jat (, ) is the 32nd letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet and of the sound represented by it. ...

• In Ekavian (ekavski), jat has morphed into the vowel e.
• in Ikavian (ikavski), the vowel i.
• in Ijekavian or Jekavian (ijekavski or jekavski), the diphthong ije or je, depending on whether the vowel was long or short.

The following are some examples:

The first two examples involve long vowels. For instance, the first e in vreme and the i in vrime are long, so the long diphthong ije is found in the Ijekavian form. In the third and fourth examples, the corresponding ekavian and ikavian vowels are short, so the short diphthong je is found in the Ijekavian form.

However, there are some cases where that pattern of correspondence is altered. The fifth example, selo, is there as an example of a word in which the e did not derive from jat, and hence the word is the same in all three dialects. In other cases, especially when the jat follows an r, Ijekavian also formed out an e, as we see in the sixth example, or an i as in the seventh example.

The dialects

The example sentence in the following sections means approximately "What is, is; it's how it always was, what will be, will be, and it'll be somehow!"

Štokavian

Main article: Štokavian dialect Shtokavian (Štokavian, štokavski) is the primary dialect of the Central South Slavic languages system, Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian. ...

The Štokavian dialect is spoken in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, and the greater part of Croatia. The Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian standard languages are all based on the štokavian dialect. A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ...

The primary subdivisions of Štokavian are based on the different ways the jat vowel has been changed. There are other differences between the standard dialects, including vocabulary, some syntax, and orthography. See Differences in official languages in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia. The official languages in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro differ in various aspects as outlined below. ...

Example: Što jest, jest; tako je uv(ij)ek bilo, što će biti, (biće|bit će), a nekako već će biti!
(The first option in the middle of the sentence is a difference between ekavian and ijekavian. The second option in the middle is an orthographic difference between Serbian and Croatian norms, respectively.) The official languages in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro differ in various aspects as outlined below. ...

Kajkavian

Main article: Kajkavian dialect Kajkavian (kajkavski) dialect is one of the three dialects of Croatian language. ...

Kajkavian is mostly spoken in northern Croatia, in and around Zagreb and near the Hungarian and Slovenian borders. It renders jat mostly as e, but note that this rendering cannot be equated to that of the ekavian štokavian dialects, as many kajkavian dialects distinguish a closed e (from jat) and an open e (from original e). Zagreb (pronounced ZA-greb) is the capital city of Croatia. ...

It also lacks several phonemes found in other dialects and has loanwords from the nearby Slovenian dialects as well as Russian.

Example: Kak je, tak je; tak je navek bilo, kak bu tak bu, a bu vre nekak kak bu!

Čakavian

Main article: Čakavian dialect Chakavian (Čakavian, čakavski) dialect is one of the three dialects of Croatian language. ...

Čakavian is spoken in the western and southern parts of Croatia, mainly in Istria and Dalmatia. The Čakavian renders jat as i as well as as e, or even mixed Ekavian-Ikavian. Many dialects of Čakavian have a lot of loan words from Venetian and Italian. Rovinj, on the western coast of Croatian Istria. ... Dalmatia (Croatian Dalmacija, Italian Dalmazia, Serbian Далмација) is a region of Croatia on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, spreading between the island of Pag in the northwest and the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. ... Venetian is a Romance language spoken by over two million people in and around Venice. ...

Example: Ča je, je, tako je navik bilo, ča će bit, će bit, a nekako već će bit!

Minor and/or transitional dialects

Torlakian

There also exists a fourth dialect, called torlački or torlak, which is spoken in southern and eastern parts of Serbia, and it is often referred to as a transitional phase between štokavian and Macedonian. Serbia and Montenegro  – Serbia    – Kosovo and Metohia        (UN administration)    – Vojvodina  – Montenegro Official language Serbian1 Capital Belgrade Area  – Total  – % water  88,361 km²  n/a Population  – Total (2002)     (without Kosovo)  – Density  7. ...

It is even thought to fit into the so-called Balkan Sprachbund, an area of linguistic convergence among languages due to long-term contact rather than being related. Balkan linguistic union or Balkan sprachbund is a name given to the similarities in grammar, syntax, vocabulary and phonology found in the languages of the Balkans. ... Convergence means approaching a definite value, as time goes on; or approaching a definite point, or a common view or opinion, or a fixed state of affairs. ...

Burgenland Croatian

This dialect is spoken primarily in the federal state of Burgenland in Austria, but also in nearby areas in Vienna, Slovakia, and Hungary by descendants of Croats who migrated there in the 16th century. Because they were separated from other Croats for so long, this dialect or possibly family of dialects is quite different from standard Croatian. It has been heavily influenced by German and also Hungarian. In addition, it has some properties from all three of the major dialectical groups in Croatia, as the migrants did not all come from the same areas of Croatia. Burgenland (Hungarian Őrvidék, Lajtabánság, Városvidék, Croatian Gradišće, Slovenian Gradiščansko) is the easternmost federal state or Bundesland of Austria and consists of two Statutarstädte (towns with a charter), (Eisenstadt and Rust) and seven political counties (Eisenstadt-Umgebung, Güssing, Jennersdorf, Mattersburg, Neusiedl am See, Oberpullendorf, and Oberwart) and 171 townships. ...

At most 100,000 people speak Burgenland Croatian and almost all are bilingual in German. Its future is uncertain, but there is some movement to preserve it. It has official status in six districts of Burgenland, and is used in some schools in Burgenland and neighboring western parts of Hungary.

Molise Croatian

Main article: Molise Slavic language Molise Slavic is a dialect of Serbo-Croatian language spoken in three villages — Montemitro (Mundmitar), Aquaviva Collercroce (Živavoda Kruč) and San Felice del Molise (Filić) — in Campobasso province of the Molise region in Italy. ...

The so-called Molise Slavic language is a dialect spoken in three villages of the Italian region of Molise by the descendants of South Slavs who migrated there from the eastern Adriatic coast in the 15th century. Because these people have migrated away from the rest of their kinsmen so long ago, their diaspora language is rather distinct from the standard language, and rather influenced by Italian. Molise Slavic is a dialect of Serbo-Croatian language spoken in three villages — Montemitro (Mundmitar), Aquaviva Collercroce (Živavoda Kruč) and San Felice del Molise (Filić) — in Campobasso province of the Molise region in Italy. ... Molise is a region of south central Italy, the second smallest of the regions. ... A diaspora language is an evolution of the language originally used by a diaspora of a group of people or peoples. ...

In addition, they have not been influenced by romantic nationalism of the 19th century (unlike the people in Burgenland, who were separated but still within the same empire) so they have come to refer to their language merely as "Slavic". There has been some controversy as to whether they are Molise Croats or Molise Serbs. Currently they are generally considered to be Croatian rather than Serbian. Liberty leading the people, embodying the Romantic view of the French Revolution of 1830; its painter Eugène Delacroix also served as an elected deputy Romantic nationalism (also organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of a... Molise Croats are Croatian subgroup, found in the Molise region of Italy. ... The term Molise Serbs is used by some in reference to a small ethnic group from Molise, Italy that is usually referred to as the Molise Croats. ...

Dialects and official languages

The Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian standard languages are all mainly based on the Štokavian dialect, although if they are considered as systems of dialects, one might observe that: A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ...

• Serbian is a system of two dialects: štokavian and torlak.
• Croatian is a system of three dialects: čakavian, štokavian and kajkavian.
• Bosnian is based solely on štokavian dialect.

See also

• Differences in official languages in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia

The official languages in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro differ in various aspects as outlined below. ...

External links

• Burgenland Croat Center (http://www.hrvatskicentar.at/) (in English, German and Croatian)