Serbo-Croatian facts for kids
Serbo-Croatian is a name for a group of closely related Slavic languages. These languages are spoken in several countries today. These include Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
From 1954 to 1992, Serbo-Croatian was an official language of Yugoslavia. Other official languages were Slovenian and Macedonian. The name "Serbo-Croatian" first appeared in the 1830s.
Today, people often talk about Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin. These are considered separate languages by many. However, they are very similar. People speaking one of these can easily understand the others.
One main difference is the writing system. People in Serbia mostly use the Cyrillic alphabet. In other areas, people use the Roman alphabet.
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Understanding Serbo-Croatian
One Language or Many?
Many experts believe that Serbo-Croatian is actually one language. It has several slightly different forms, or dialects. These dialects are so similar that speakers can understand each other without much trouble. Think of it like different accents in English. Someone from the USA can understand someone from the UK.
Where It Is Spoken
The languages that used to be called Serbo-Croatian are spoken in the Balkan region. This area is in Southeast Europe. Millions of people use these languages every day. They are important for daily life and culture in these countries.
Writing Systems
The way these languages are written can be different.
- In Serbia, people mainly use the Cyrillic alphabet. This alphabet looks different from the one used for English.
- In Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, people mainly use the Latin alphabet. This is the same alphabet used for English.
Both alphabets have rules for how letters sound.
History of the Language
Early Beginnings
The idea of Serbo-Croatian as a single language started in the 1830s. This was a time when people wanted to unite different groups. They hoped a shared language would help bring people together.
Language in Yugoslavia
When Yugoslavia was a country, Serbo-Croatian was its main language. It was taught in schools and used in government. This helped people from different regions communicate. After Yugoslavia broke apart, the language names changed. Each new country wanted its own official language.
Images for kids
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Hval's Codex, a very old book from 1404
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Đuro Daničić's Croatian or Serbian Dictionary from 1882
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Grammar of the Bosnian Language from 1890
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Tomislav Maretić's 1899 Grammar of Croatian or Serbian
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A warning sign on a cigarette pack in Latin and Cyrillic script. All three versions say the same thing.
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Maps showing the different forms of Serbo-Croatian in 2006.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma serbocroata para niños
