The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku, Декларација о заједничком језику, separator=" / ") was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

who were working under the banner of a project called "Language and Nationalism". The ''Declaration'' states that

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

and

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

have a common

standard language A standard language (or standard variety, standard dialect, standardized dialect or simply standard) is any language variety that has undergone substantial codification in its grammar, lexicon, writing system, or other features and that stands ...

of the

polycentric Polycentric is an English adjective, meaning "having more than one center," derived from the Greek words ''polús'' ("many") and ''kentrikós'' ("center"). Polycentricism (or polycentricity) is the abstract noun formed from polycentric. They may r ...

type.

Television cameras at Press conference in Sarajevo

Before any public presentation, the ''Declaration'' was signed by over 200 prominent writers, scientists, journalists, activists and other public figures from the four

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

. After being

published Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

, 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 Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Books * Reconciliation (Under the North Star), ''Reconciliation'' (''Under the North Star''), the third volume of the ''Under the ...

process.

Contents of the Declaration

The ''Declaration'' states that

and

have a common

of the

type. It refers to the fact that the four peoples communicate effectively without an interpreter due to their

mutual intelligibility In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between different but related language varieties in which speakers of the different varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. Mutual intelli ...

, which is a key notion when talking about languages. Furthermore, it points out that the current

language policy Language policy is both an interdisciplinary academic field and implementation of ideas about language use. Some scholars such as Joshua Fishman and Ofelia García consider it as part of sociolinguistics. On the other hand, other scholars such as ...

of emphasizing differences has led to a number of negative phenomena,Alt URL
/ref> and linguistic expression is imposed as a criterion of ethnonational affiliation and a means of affirming political

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

. The ''Declaration'' states that language and people do not have to coincide, and that each

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

or nation may independently codify its own variant of the common language, and that the four standard variants enjoy equal status. The ''Declaration'' calls for abolishing all forms of linguistic segregation and

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

in educational and public institutions. It also advocates for the freedom of individual choice and respect for

linguistic diversity Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

International project "Languages and Nationalisms"

The ''Declaration'' followed the international project Languages and NationalismsAlt URL
/ref> (founded by two German

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

: Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst and Allianz Kulturstiftung), within which

conferences A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

were held in the four countries during 2016, thus providing an insight into the current situation and problems. The project was inspired by the book '' Language and Nationalism'', and was organized by four non-governmental organizations from each of the countries included: P.E.N. Center Bosnia-Herzegovina from

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, the Association Kurs from

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

Krokodil ''Krokodil'' ( rus, Крокодил, p=krəkɐˈdʲil, a= Ru-крокодил.ogg, ) was a Humor magazine , satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union and later Russia. The first issue was published on 27 August 1922 as the satirical supp ...

from

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

and the Civic Education Center from

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

. An interdisciplinary series of expert conferences in Podgorica, Split, Belgrade and Sarajevo took place under participation of

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

s, journalists,

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

s and others. Numerous

audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...

s were also included. The titles of

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

s on the conferences were:

The creation of the Declaration

More than thirty experts participated in the drafting of the ''Declaration'', half of whom were linguists of different nationalities from the four states. The process of writing lasted for several months. The

initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

emerged just after the last conference in Sarajevo, when young people from Bosnia-Herzegovina 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

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 A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

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 A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision-making. Definiti ...

, the text was sent to some twenty consultants, whose proposals are then embedded in the final form of the text.

Presentation of the Declaration

Collecting signatures for the Declaration on the Common Language

The ''Declaration on the Common Language'', with more than two hundred signatures of prominent intellectuals from Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia was simultaneously presented to the public on 30 March 2017 in Zagreb, Podgorica, Belgrade and Sarajevo, where a press conference was held and two

panel discussion A panel discussion, or simply a panel, involves a group of people gathered to discuss a topic in front of an audience, typically at scientific, business, or academic conferences, fan conventions, and on television shows. Panels usually include a ...

s 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 The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

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 Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

, a panel discussion "Whose is Our Language?" at the

Exit festival Exit (stylized in all caps; ) is a summer music festival which is held at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. Founded in 2000, it has twice won the Best Major Festival award at the European Festivals Awards, for 2013 and 2017. EXIT has ...

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. Snjezana Kordic keynote presentation Hokkaido University

Snjezana Kordic keynote presentation Hokkaido University

During 2018, a series of plenary lectures on the ''Declaration'' was held at

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 Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

"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, which later also organized a plenary lecture on the ''Declaration'' at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.

Signatories

The British sociolinguist

Peter Trudgill Peter Trudgill, ( ; born 7 November 1943) is an English sociolinguist, academic and author. Biography Trudgill was born in Norwich, England, and grew up in the area of Thorpe St Andrew. He attended the City of Norwich School from 1955. T ...

notes that "linguists are well represented on the list of signatories." The most famous linguist "

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

has signed the Declaration on the common language", which has been particularly resounding. The Declaration has been signed by "over fifty other linguists, including Anders Ahlqvist, Ronelle Alexander, Nadira Aljović, Bojan Anđelković, Boban Arsenijević, John Frederick Bailyn, Josip Baotić, Ranka Bijeljac-Babić, Ranko Bugarski, Vesna Bulatović, Daniel Bunčić, Costas Canakis, Greville Corbett, Oliver Czulo, Natalia Długosz, Ljiljana Dolamic, Nicholas Evans, Rajka Glušica, Radmila Gorup, Senahid Halilović, Camiel Hamans, Mirjana Jocić, Jagoda Jurić-Kappel, Dunja Jutronić, Dejan Karavesović, Jana Kenda, Ivan Klajn, Snježana Kordić, Svetlana Kurteš, Igor Kusin, Zineta Lagumdžija, Igor Lakić, Gordana Lalić-Krstin, Mia Mader Skender, Alisa Mahmutović, Olga Mišeska Tomić, Vladimir Miličić, Spiros Moschonas, Joachim Mugdan, Zoran Nikolovski, Miloš Okuka, Tatjana Paunović, Dušan-Vladislav Pažđerski, Mira Peter, Tanja Petrović, Enisa Pliska, Milena Podolšak, Luka Raičković, Katarina Rasulić, Marija Runić, Svenka Savić, Marko Simonović, Ljiljana Subotić, Danko Šipka, Dušanka Točanac, Neda Todorović, Aleksandar Trklja, Peter Trudgill, Mladen Uhlik, Hanka Vajzović, Vera Vasić, Elvira Veselinović, Đorđe Vidanović, Ana Ždrale, Jelena Živojinović." Signatories of the ''Declaration'' include: * Greville Corbett * Ivana Bodrožić *

Mirjana Karanović Mirjana Karanović ( sr-cyr, Мирјана Карановић; born 28 January 1957) is a Serbian actress, film director and screenwriter. Considered one of the best Serbian and Yugoslavian actresses of all time, she is probably the best known f ...

* Sandra Benčić * Rajko Grlić *

Željko Komšić Željko Komšić (; born 20 January 1964) is a Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Croat politician serving as the List of Croat members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6th and current Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia a ...

Svetislav Basara Svetislav Basara ( sr-cyr, Светислав Басара; born 21 December 1953) is a Serbian writer and columnist. Biography Basara grew up in Užice, attended the Gymnasium (school), Gymnasium of the town and graduated with maturity diploma, ...

Jurica Pavičić Jurica Pavičić (born 2 November 1965 in Split) is a writer, columnist and film critic. Pavičić's screenplay for ''Witnesses'' (''Svjedoci''), Vinko Brešan's 2003 film, won the Golden Arena for Best Screenplay in the 2003 Pula Film Festiv ...

* Vedrana Rudan * Olja Savičević Ivančević * Dejan Jović * Igor Štiks * Nadežda Čačinovič * Ivan Ivanji * Lenka Udovički * Filip David *

Ognjen Sviličić Ognjen Sviličić (born 1971 in Split, Yugoslavia, Split) is a screenwriter and film director, based in Berlin, noted for his critically acclaimed 2007 films Sorry for Kung Fu, ''Sorry For Kung Fu'', ''Armin (film), Armin and These Are the Rules ...

* Vladimir Arsenijević *

Srećko Horvat Srećko Horvat (born 28 February 1983) is a Croatian philosopher, author and political activist. The German weekly '' Der Freitag'' called him "one of the most exciting voices of his generation" and he has been described as a "fiery voice of diss ...

* Rada Iveković * Dino Mustafić * Štefica Galić *

Pjer Žalica Pjer Žalica (born 7 May 1964) is a Bosnians, Bosnian film director, screenwriter and a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. His father Miodrag (1926–1992) was a noted dramaturgist and poet who scripted several TV movies. H ...

Snježana Kordić Snježana Kordić (; born October 29, 1964) is a Croatian linguist. In addition to her Academic publishing, work in syntax, she has written on sociolinguistics. Kordić is known among non-specialists for her numerous Article (publishing), article ...

* Dubravka Ugrešić * Ante Tomić *

* 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 Slobodan Šnajder (; born 8 July 1948) is a Croatian writer and publicist. Šnajder was born in 1948 in Zagreb, where he graduated in philosophy and English studies from the Faculty of Philosophy. He was co-founder and editor of the theatre ...

* Tanja Miletić Oručević * Senahid Halilović * Saša Ilić * Daša Drndić * Edvin Kanka Ćudić *

Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors ...

* Biljana Srbljanović * Dubravka Stojanović * Srđan Tešin * Isidora Žebeljan * Dino Abazović * Aleksandar Zograf * Boban Stojanović *

Mima Simić Mima Simić (born Ana Marija Simić; 4 February 1976) is a Croatian writer, an awarded film critic, translator and an LGBTIQ+ media activist. She holds degrees in Comparative literature, Comparative Literature and English Language and Literature fr ...

* Siniša Malešević * Šerbo Rastoder * Ivana Sajko * Rastko Močnik * Tanja Stupar-Trifunović * Drago Pilsel * Bojana Vunturišević *

* Vladimir Veličković * Srbijanka Turajlić * Ermin Bravo * Marko Tomaš * Nenad Veličković * Ranko Bugarski * Dritan Abazović *

Izudin Bajrović Izudin Bajrović (born 9 February 1963) is a Bosnian theater, film and television actor. He has appeared in more than forty films since 1986. Recent activity In 2017, Bajrović signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs ...

Jasmila Žbanić Jasmila Žbanić (; born 19 December 1974) is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer. She has received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Academy Awards, Academy Award and two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards. ...

* Danko Šipka * Balša Brković * Stefan Bošković * Asim Mujkić * Florian Bieber * Jasna Diklić *

Vesna Pešić Vesna Pešić ( sr-Cyrl, Весна Пешић, ; born May 6, 1940) is a Serbian politician and sociologist. In February 2012, Vesna Pešić announced she would leave politics after parliamentary elections on 6 May 2012. Biography In the early ...

* Goran Marković *

Vladislav Bajac Vladislav Bajac ( sr-Cyrl, Владислав Бајац, born 2 June 1954) is a Serbs, Serbian writer, poet, journalist and publisher. Biography He was born in Belgrade in 1954 and later studied philology at the University of Belgrade. In 199 ...

* Stevan Filipović * Igor Kusin * Feđa Stojanović * Adela Jušić *

Koča Pavlović Koča Pavlović ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Коча Павловић; 17 September 1962 – 19 September 2019) was a Montenegrin journalist and politician. Filmmaking career Pavlović began his career as a journalist, working as a political talk-s ...

* Milena Dragićević Šešić * Bora Ćosić * Tatjana Bezjak *

Dragoljub Mićunović Dragoljub Mićunović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб Мићуновић ; born 14 July 1930) is a Serbian politician and philosopher. As one of the founders of the Democratic Party, he served as its leader from 1990 to 1994, and as the president of ...

* Stanislava Staša Zajović * Goran Dević * Miloš Okuka * Lana Bastašić * Srđa Pavlović * Igor Galo * Faruk Šehić * Zvonimir Jurić *

Nicholas Evans Nicholas Benbow Evans (26 July 1950 – 9 August 2022) was a British journalist, screenwriter, television and film producer and novelist. He was best known for his 1995 debut novel, ''The Horse Whisperer (novel), The Horse Whisperer''. It has s ...

* Srđan Karanović * Zdravko Grebo * Lana Barić * Dejan Đokić * Aleksandar Novaković * Maša Kolanović

Signatories about the ''Declaration'' – Selected bibliography

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min 84:14 * * *
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* * * * * * * Cigarette packet warning signs from Bosnia and Herzegovina

* min 17:36 * * * * * * * min 13:00 * * * * * * *
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Notes

a. Participants: Borka Pavićević, Rajka Glušica and

; Moderator: Sandra Zlotrg b. Participants: Ivana Bodrožić, Balša Brković and Asim Mujkić; Moderator: Igor Štiks c. Participants: Nerzuk Ćurak and Vladimir Arsenijević; Moderator: Žarka Radoja d. Participants: Tomislav Longinović, Viktor Ivančić, Snježana Kordić, Boris Buden and Mate Kapović; Moderator: Katarina Peović Vuković e. Participants: Teofil Pančić, Dragan Markovina, Snježana Kordić and Igor Štiks; Moderator: Vladimir Arsenijević and Ana Pejović f. Participants: Dragan Bjelogrlić, Snježana Kordić, Marko Šelić Marčelo, Vladimir Arsenijević and Vlatko Sekulović; Moderator: Milena Bogavac Minja g. Participants: Ivan Ivanji, Goran Miletić, Mirjana Đurđević, Srđan Tešin and Pero Zlatar; Moderator: Eržika Pap Reljin h. Participants: Rajka Glušica, Ivo Pranjković, Snježana Kordić, Ranko Bugarski, Vladimir Arsenijević and Svein Mønnesland; Moderator: Nikola Vučić

References

External links

Text of the Declaration

List of signatories
* * {{in lang, sh Serbo-Croatian language Petitions Croatian documents Serbian documents 2017 documents Manifestos Academic controversies Sociolinguistics Standard languages South Slavic languages Slavic studies Education activism Language activists Language policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia Protests in Croatia Protests in Serbia Protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina Protests in Montenegro Linguistic discrimination Anti-nationalism in Europe Croatian nationalism Serbian nationalism Bosnian nationalism Croatian nationalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegrin nationalism Culture of Croatia Culture of Serbia Bosniak culture Culture of Montenegro Linguistic controversies Linguistic purism Croatian language Serbian language Bosnian language Montenegrin language Naming controversies Languages of Croatia Languages of Serbia Languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina Languages of Montenegro Comparison of Slavic languages Projects in Europe Projects established in 2016 2017 in Serbia 2017 in Croatia 2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017 in Montenegro