Little language raises big concerns

A national language lends itself nicely to a national identity and that is exactly what Montenegro is looking for. The fall of communism and the subsequent break up of the former Yugoslavia led the constituent republics to declare the death of the old lingua franca, Serbo-Croat.

Montenegrin has differences from Serbian in both vocabulary and pronunciation. For instance, the word for ’milk’ in Serbian is 'mleko', but in Montenegrin it is 'mlijeko'. There are also two new letters - ś and ź. But critics argue the differences are too minor to constitute an independent language.

Goran Radonjic teaches Serbian literature at the University in the city of Niksic. He claims the only real difference between the two languages is the underpinning of political ideology, stoking nationalism and driving a deeper wedge between Montenegro and Serbia

He says, “The purpose of language is to enable people to communicate. When you create a new one, you are putting some barrier between us.”

But some say Montenegrins have always spoken their own language. “You have a nation and a nation usually has its own church, its own culture, tradition. And in Montenegrin culture and tradition we have a specific language,” says Montenegrin teacher Jelena Susanj.

This Sunday is International Mother Tongue day – designed to celebrate linguistic diversity and raise the plight of those languages that risk becoming extinct. But while Montenegrin is not at risk of extinction, some fear it is making it harder for this diverse state to speak with one voice

The 21st February in International Mother Language Day. To find out about how minority languages are faring elsewhere in Europe see more reports in this Euranet This Week series:

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