The Serbian Language Through the Ages
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What lies at the core of every individual is the question of origins and beginnings. This question has followed us since childhood for everything around us, and today it extends to more complex matters. Naturally, the question of how a language came into existence is highly intricate, but I have endeavored to outline a chronological development of the Serbian language for you:
There are various data points, but what is frequently mentioned is what I have highlighted for you.
Roots of the Balto-Slavic Branch: The Kurgan hypothesis, which relies on archaeological and linguistic research, suggests that the Balto-Slavic languages originate from the Proto-Balto-Slavic language, itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European language. The term "Kurgan" comes from the Russian word for a burial mound, referring to the peoples who spoke the Proto-Indo-European language. Proto-Indo-European was used until around 1300 BCE, when it split into Proto-Baltic and Proto-Slavic.
The Rise of Proto-Slavic: Proto-Slavic flourished between 1000 and 1500 BCE in the regions of present-day eastern Poland, southern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. During the 5th and 6th centuries CE, migrations of Slavic peoples expanded this language in various directions. Different dialects developed, and by the 9th century, separate Slavic languages began to form. A key change was the elimination of "weak yers," facilitating the development of modern Slavic languages.
The Birth of Old Church Slavonic: The first written Slavic language, Old Church Slavonic or Church Slavonic, emerged in the 9th century based on the speech of Macedonian Slavs around Thessaloniki. The brothers Cyril and Methodius codified this language, using Cyrillic and Glagolitic scripts. Their work on translating the Bible and other texts from Greek marked the beginning of Slavic literacy. Today, Old Church Slavonic is mainly used in liturgical rites.
Serbo-Slavonic: The First Standard: Serbo-Slavonic, as the Serbian version of Old Church Slavonic, served as the first standard of the Serbian literary language before the arrival of Russo-Slavonic. There were three main orthographies: Zeta-Hum, Raška, and Resava. Alongside it, the Old Serbian language was used, with the oldest document being the "Charter of Ban Kulin" from 1189.
The Era of Russo-Slavonic and Slaveno-Serbian: The Russo-Slavonic language reached the Serbs in Hungary during the first half of the 18th century, thanks to Russian teachers. However, due to its complexity and difficulty, Russo-Slavonic was gradually replaced by Slaveno-Serbian, a blend of Russo-Slavonic and the vernacular Serbian. By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Serbian intellectuals and writers recognized the need for a literary language close to the spoken language, leading to the reform of Cyrillic.
Development of the First Slavic Scripts
Glagolitic: The oldest Slavic script, modeled after the Greek script, was used for Old Church Slavonic. There were two variants: round Glagolitic and square Glagolitic. In Serbian regions, Glagolitic was quickly replaced by Cyrillic.
Cyrillic: Also based on the Greek script, expanded with letters from the old alphabet between the 9th and 10th centuries. Sava Mrkalj simplified the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet in 1810 by removing redundant letters. Vuk Stefanović Karadžić later reformed it, introducing six new letters: ć, đ, nj, lj, j, and dž. Since 2007, Cyrillic has been the third official script of the European Union.
Key Notes from the Lecture:
· Serbian Language: A Slavic language from the Indo-European family. Uses Cyrillic (reformed by Vuk Karadžić) and Latin (Gajica) scripts.
· Balto-Slavic Branch: Kurgan hypothesis - Balto-Slavic languages originate from Proto-Balto-Slavic, of Proto-Indo-European origin.
· Proto-Slavic Language: Developed between 1000 and 1500 BCE. Spread of Slavs in the 5th and 6th centuries -> formation of separate Slavic languages.
· Old Church Slavonic: Codified by Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century. Scripts: Cyrillic and Glagolitic.
· Serbo-Slavonic: The first standard of Serbian literary language. Three orthographies: Zeta-Hum, Raška, Resava.
· Russo-Slavonic and Slaveno-Serbian: Russo-Slavonic introduced in the 18th century, and replaced by Slaveno-Serbian (blend of Russo-Slavonic and vernacular Serbian).
· Cyrillic Reform: Sava Mrkalj (1810) simplified Cyrillic. Vuk Karadžić (later) introduced: ć, đ, nj, lj, j, dž. Cyrillic became the third official script of the EU (since 2007).
· First
Slavic Scripts: Glagolitic and Cyrillic, both modeled after the Greek
script. Glagolitic was soon replaced by Cyrillic.
Milos, OLS Community Manager – Serbian