Language And Identity In The Balkans

The author of the book, Robert Greenberg, discusses language rifts in the Balkans and how they have developed over time. He also discusses how these rifts have affected the way people identify themselves and how nationalism has played a role in exacerbating the language situation.

Language rifts in the Balkans are endemic and have long been both a symptom of ethnic animosity and a cause for inflaming it. But the break-up of the Serbo-Croatian language into four languages on the path towards mutual unintelligibility within a decade is, by any previous standard of linguistic behaviour, extraordinary. Robert Greenberg describes how it happened. Basing his account on first-hand observations in the region before and since the communist demise, he evokes the drama and emotional discord as different factions sought to exploit, prevent, exacerbate, accelerate or just make sense of the chaotic and unpredictable language situation. His fascinating account offers insights into the nature of language change and the relation between language and identity. It also provides a uniquely vivid perspective on nationalism and identity politics in the former Yugoslavia. Review: A huge amount of research has gone into Greenberg's fine book. It is clearly written... Radmila Gorup, Slavic and East European Journal an admirable and welcome work. Its tone is particularly refreshing ... a well-crafted edition with a broad target readership in Slavic studies. Andrii Danylenko, SEER ...this is a fascinating book, well grounded in the relevant literature and written in an intelligible manner... [it will] contribute to a deeper understanding of both the dynamics and the repercussions of these disputes. Sabrina P. Ramet, European History Quarterly BEST BOOK IN SLAVIC LINGUISTICS 2005, awarded by the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. liThe detailed exposition and copious citation of relevant scholarly literature in many languages, together with the eminently readable text providing a masterful summation of a unique constellation of sociolinguistic phenomena, suggest that the book will become a classic reference for those who wish to study the dramatic rise and fall of the language-formerly-known-as-Serbo-Croatian.r