Abstract: In this talk, I will examine contemporary linguosociopolitical debates and social meanings surrounding script(s) and their use(s) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, both the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska constitutionally recognize Latin and Cyrillic scripts as official. In Croatia, only the Latin script holds official status. Montenegro recognizes both scripts as equal, while in Serbia Cyrillic is in official use per the Constitution, and the use of other scripts is regulated by the Law on the Official Use of Languages and Scripts, allowing the Latin script to be used optionally.
Relying on sociolinguistic, folk linguistic, and linguistic anthropological approaches, I will analyze top-down policies and discourses surrounding these scripts and their use across various contexts and compare those with bottom-up perspectives. Part of the latter data was gathered through my own fieldwork in Montenegro and is complemented by public commentary from various online platforms and forums across the four countries, as well as existing scholarly research on the topic. This dataset allows me to explore whether speakers’ everyday practices and preferences align with or challenge dominant top-down discourses, thereby highlighting the complexity of script dynamics in contemporary contexts.
Zoom link:
https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/94172798323?pwd=YA7Q2lWb3EaeSpgnBSglL8oFAWBszI.1
Meeting ID: 941 7279 8323
Passcode: 042026
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