Serbian: Isn't my language your language?
This chapter discusses the occurrence of two variants of the Serbian language: Montenegrin and Serbian. The constitutional status of the two Serbian alphabets and pronunciations are summarized. With its two alphabets and two pronunciations, the Serbian language displays an identity prone to disputes and controversies. The factions in Serbian linguistic circles are described including: the status quo linguists, the neo-Vukovite linguists, and the Orthodox linguists. The chapter details the orthographic chaos from 1993 to 1994 resulting from competing orthographic manuals. The orthographic controversy for the Montenegrins is merely a symptom of a more fundamental suspicion that the Serbian language can no longer fully support its two equal pronunciations—ekavian and ijekavian. The internal debate among the Serbs regarding the co-official status of the ekavian and ijekavian dialects/pronunciations has a long and emotional history. Academics lead language planning and the formulation of language policy for the Serbian language.
Keywords: Montenegrin language, Serbian language, alphabets, pronunciations, ekavian, ijekavian, orthographic manuals, language policy, dialects
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