Declaration on the Common Language

The Declaration on the Common Language () was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia who were working under the banner of a project called "Language and Nationalism". The Declaration states that Bosniaks, Croats, Montenegrins and Serbs have a common standard language of the polycentric type.

Before any public presentation, the Declaration was signed by over 200 prominent writers, scientists, journalists, activists and other public figures from the four countries. After being published, it has been signed by over 10,000 people from all over the region. The Declaration on the Common Language is an attempt to counter nationalistic factions. Its aim is to stimulate discussion on language without nationalism and to contribute to the reconciliation process.

Background The Declaration followed the international project Languages and Nationalisms Alt URL (founded by two German foundations: Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst and Allianz Kulturstiftung), within which conferences were held in the four countries during 2016, thus providing an insight into the current situation and problems. 15. min The project was inspired by the book Language and Nationalism, 25 min and was organized by four non-governmental organizations from each of the countries included: P.E.N. Center Bosnia-Herzegovina from Sarajevo, the Association Kurs from Split, Krokodil from Belgrade and the Civic Education Center from Podgorica. An interdisciplinary series of expert conferences in Podgorica, Split, Belgrade and Sarajevo took place under participation of linguists, journalists, anthropologists and others. Numerous audiences were also included. The titles of debates on the conferences were:

+Series of international expert conferences Languages and Nationalisms in 2016 Place Titles of debates Date Podgorica Does every people in Montenegro speak a different language? 21 April What is the purpose of increasing language differences? 22 April Split Does anarchy threaten if we do not prescribe how to speak? 19 May What if Croats and Serbs have a common language? 20 May Belgrade Who is it that steals the language? 5 October The ideology of the correct language 6 October Sarajevo Political manipulations of the topic of language 23 November Proofreaders as nationality-imposers 24 November

Creation More than thirty experts participated in the drafting of the Declaration, half of whom were linguists of different nationalities from the four states., min 3:00 The process of writing lasted for several months. The initiative emerged just after the last conference in Sarajevo, when young people from Bosnia-Herzegovina min 1.50 min 9.44 who experienced the educational segregation in the so-called "two schools under one roof" min 14.00 came up with the idea of composing a text that would encourage change of the language policy in all four countries. They entitled the text Declaration on the Common Language and gave it for rewriting to professional linguists, so that the Declaration was redrafted in Zagreb in the following months and can therefore be called the "Zagreb Declaration."

As a continuation of the project Languages and Nationalisms, a committee of experts of different nationalities from all four countries was formed that worked on the final version of the Declaration on 16 and 17 January 2017 in Zagreb. After the meeting, the text was sent to some twenty consultants, whose proposals are then embedded in the final form of the text.

Content The Declaration states that Bosniaks, Croats, Montenegrins and Serbs have a common standard language of the polycentric type. min 0.13 It refers to the fact that the four peoples communicate effectively without an interpreter due to their mutual intelligibility, which is a key notion when talking about languages. Furthermore, it points out that the current language policy of emphasizing differences has led to a number of negative phenomena, Alt URL , min 26:12 2:13 min and linguistic expression is imposed as a criterion of ethnonational affiliation and a means of affirming political loyalty. The Declaration states that language and people do not have to coincide, and that each state or nation may independently codify its own variant of the common language, and that the four standard variants enjoy equal status. min 1.07 Alt URL min 21.42 The Declaration calls for abolishing all forms of linguistic segregation and discrimination in educational and public institutions. (NSK) . (FFZG) It also advocates for the freedom of individual choice and respect for linguistic diversity. 53:15 min

Presentation

The Declaration on the Common Language, with more than two hundred signatures of prominent intellectuals from Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and other countries, was presented to the public on 30 March 2017 at simultaneous events held in Zagreb, Podgorica, Belgrade and Sarajevo, where a press conference was held and two panel discussions with titles "What is a common language?" and "Language and the Future". Then the Declaration was opened for signing to other people. Over the next few days, more than 8,000 people signed it. Two months later, in the framework of the 10th Subversive Festival in Zagreb, a round table on the Declaration, titled "Language and Nationalism", was held. Then a debate "About the Declaration on the Common Language and Other Demons" was held at the Crocodile Literature Festival in Belgrade. After that, in Novi Sad, a panel discussion "Whose is Our Language?" at the Exit festival and a forum "What are the Achievements of the Declaration on the Common Language?" at the International literary conference, Book Talk, were organised. In Montenegro, there was a round table on the Declaration in the framework of the 7th Njegoš's Days. At the end of 2017, a discussion "What to do With the Language: Who speaks (or does not speak) the common language?" was organised at the 6th Open University in Sarajevo. 1:48 min

+Series of panel discussions on the Declaration in 2017 Place Discussion title Event Date Sarajevo What is a Common Language? Presentation of the Declaration 30 March Language and the Future Who Speaks (or does not Speak) the Common Language? Open University 10 November Zagreb Language and Nationalism Subversive Festival 19 May Belgrade About the Declaration on the Common Language and Other Demons Krokodil Literary Festival 18 June Novi Sad Whose is Our Language? Exit Festival 8 July What are the Achievements of the Declaration on the Common Language? Book Talk 29 September Kotor Declaration on the Common Language Njegoš's Days 1 September

During 2018, a series of plenary lectures on the Declaration was held at conferences at the universities of various EU countries, and then at the universities in Japan. On the occasion of the second anniversary of the Declaration, two round tables were held: in Vienna "Language and Nationalisms: Do We Understand Each Other?" and in Zagreb "One Language or Several Languages: Discussion on the Declaration on the Common Language", organized by the Union of Student Associations of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, 120 min which later also organized a plenary lecture on the Declaration at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.

Signatories

The British sociolinguist Peter Trudgill notes that "linguists are well represented on the list of signatories." One of the most famous linguists at the time, Noam Chomsky, signed the Declaration on the Common Language, which was deemed particularly resounding. The Declaration has been signed by "over fifty other linguists".

Signatories of the Declaration include:

Greville Corbett Ivana Bodrožić Mirjana Karanović Sandra Benčić Rajko Grlić Željko Komšić Svetislav Basara Jurica Pavičić Vedrana Rudan Olja Savičević Ivančević Dejan Jović Igor Štiks Nadežda Čačinovič Ivan Ivanji Lenka Udovički Filip David Ognjen Sviličić Vladimir Arsenijević Srećko Horvat Rada Iveković Dino Mustafić Štefica Galić Pjer Žalica Snježana Kordić Dubravka Ugrešić Ante Tomić Noam Chomsky Boris Dežulović Dragan Markovina Enver Kazaz Viktor Ivančić Oto Horvat Maja Herman Sekulić Tomislav Jakić Željko Ivanković Svetlana Lukić Dejan Tiago Stanković Nihad Hasanović Srđan Srdić Reuf Bajrović Maja Vidaković Lalić Vesna Teršelič Ivan Klajn Boris Bakal Borka Pavićević Jasna Šamić Slobodan Šnajder Tanja Miletić Oručević Senahid Halilović Saša Ilić Daša Drndić Edvin Kanka Ćudić Rade Šerbedžija Biljana Srbljanović Raymond Detrez Dubravka Stojanović Srđan Tešin Isidora Žebeljan Dino Abazović Aleksandar Zograf Boban Stojanović Mima Simić Siniša Malešević Šerbo Rastoder Ivana Sajko Rastko Močnik Tanja Stupar-Trifunović Drago Pilsel Bojana Vunturišević Peter Trudgill Vladimir Veličković Srbijanka Turajlić Ermin Bravo Marko Tomaš Nenad Veličković Ranko Bugarski Dritan Abazović Izudin Bajrović Jasmila Žbanić Danko Šipka Balša Brković Stefan Bošković Asim Mujkić Florian Bieber Jasna Diklić Vesna Pešić Goran Marković Vladislav Bajac Stevan Filipović Igor Kusin Feđa Stojanović Adela Jušić Koča Pavlović Milena Dragićević Šešić Natalia Długosz Milena Dragićević Šešić Bora Ćosić Tatjana Bezjak Dragoljub Mićunović Stanislava Staša Zajović Goran Dević Miloš Okuka Lana Bastašić Srđa Pavlović Igor Galo Faruk Šehić Zvonimir Jurić Nicholas Evans Srđan Karanović Zdravko Grebo Lana Barić Dejan Đokić Aleksandar Novaković Maša Kolanović

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Declaration on the Common Language

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