Introduction

This small 'course' is under construction.

The intent is to provide some basic introduction to language commonly spoken in three countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, at least what is used in public media, schools, etc. Of course, it's not all what is spoken, and you'll sometimes hear other things.

Two disclaimers:

First, I don't live in any of these three countries, I happen to live in Croatia. Now, in principle, this course could include Croatia, but due to a great diversity of language within Croatia, it's done in a separate web page, Easy Croatian.

Second, I'm not a professional language teacher or linguist, and some things mentioned here are maybe explained in a different way in some textbook, or (sadly) not explained at all.

In each chapter, above the title, there will be a "drop-down" list from which you can select what you want to be displayed. When you change your selection, all non-English text below will be updated. The options are:

Bosnian. This is selected by default, simply because it's first in the alphabetical order. This is basically what you can read in newspapers and other media in e.g. Sarajevo, and how many people in Bosnia, especially Bosniaks (also known as Bosnian Muslims) speak in public.

Montenegrin. This is what is used in media in Montenegro. It's very similar to Bosnian, but it has some spelling specifics and some specific words. Within it, you can select script - either Latin or Cyrillic. Today, Latin dominates in Montenegro, but you're advised to learn Cyrillic as well, as some newspapers use it.

Serbian (Ekavian). This is what is used in media and by most people in public in Serbia. Within it, you can select script - either Latin or Cyrillic. Both are used today in Serbia, however, Cyrillic is more official, while tabloids use Latin. It's what most people mean when they say "Serbian".

Serbian (Ijekavian). This is used in parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina where Serbs dominate. It's very similar to Bosnian, but there are some small differences. Within it, you can select script - either Latin or Cyrillic. Both are used; again, Cyrillic is more official, while Latin is used in daily life more often. It's also considered "Serbian", but rarely mentioned.

All these variants share almost all vocabulary and a great deal of grammar, but there will be some small differences here and there, and they will be mentioned when they come up.

If you have any remarks, corrections, feel free to comment below each chapter.

5 Learn Serbian, Bosnian & Montenegrin: Introduction This small 'course' is under construction . The intent is to provide some basic introduction to language commonly spoken in three ...

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