What language is Serbian closest to?

It is a well-known fact that Serbian is a Slavic language, but what characteristics does it share with its linguistic cousins? If we dig just a little deeper into the past, we’ll see that Serbia used to be a part of Yugoslavia, along with Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia (today North Macedonia). This piece of history helps us see which neighbouring languages Serbian might be closest to. But is Serbian similar to Russian? What about Albanian?

Let’s see where exactly Serbian fits and how this language can help you understand half the countries in the Balkans.

language serbian

Are Serbian and Croatian the same language?

Have you ever heard a Serb and a Croat talking, each in their mother tongue, perfectly understanding each other? This situation shows us how similar these two languages are in reality. However, the degree of similarity is one of the most debated linguistic questions in the Balkans. Serbian and Croatian share a long linguistic history and even today the language is referred to as Serbo-Croatian (srpskohrvatski) or our language (naš jezik, naški).

However, if we were to focus on the specific grammatical and vocabulary features, here are some differences we would stumble upon:

  • The script – Perhaps the most noticeable difference is that the Serbian language uses both Cyrillic and Latin scripts, while Croatian exclusively uses Latin. Serbian Cyrillic is in official use, while Latin is gaining more popularity with globalisation. Nevertheless, the Latin script used by both countries is identical.
  • Vocabulary – All languages change with time, and so has the gap between Serbian and Croatian become wider than it used to be. Let us see a few regional variations and how diverse they can get:
English Serbian Croatian
train voz vlak
tomato paradajz rajčica
blanket ćebe deka

 

  • Pronunciation – Croatian language uses Ijekavian while Serbian mostly Ekavian The differences are based on how the Proto-Slavic vowel jat (Ѣ) evolved in modern speech, (i)je and e respectively according to the dialect. For example, the word milk in Croatian is said mlijeko, while it’s mleko in Serbian. However, mutual understanding among the speakers is guaranteed.

Today, Serbian and Croatian are two official languages in their respective countries even though they could be seen as the mutually intelligible remnants of what once was the same language.

How similar are Bosnian and Serbian?

Now that we learnt there is little difference between Serbian and Croatian, we can easily understand the similarities with Bosnian. What is more, Bosnian is a part of the group these nations refer to as our language, along with Montenegrin. These languages come from the same linguistic tradition. For example, all the languages in the group apart from Serbian share the Ijekavian features.

When it comes to the distinctions between Bosnian and Serbian, the most prominent one includes a multitude of loanwords from Turkish and Arabic in Bosnian due to Ottoman influence. Minor differences also exist in expressions and cultural idioms, but these only enrich common understanding rather than hinder it.

serbian language

Serbian and Slovenian language

Although both Serbian and Slovenian are South Slavic languages, they differ significantly. This is largely due to the countries’ different historical backgrounds and development. More precisely, as a consequence of Slovenia leaving the Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991, a lot of older people in Slovenia can still understand Serbian (or Serbo-Croatian) much better than the younger generations born after the separation. Therefore, Slovenians might be able to understand you if you speak Serbian, but they will probably respond to you in Slovenian. On the other hand, the reverse is less likely. One of the reasons for this is the influence of Germanic languages in Slovenian, both in its sentence structure and vocabulary.

If we compare the two grammar systems, Serbian might seem slightly more complex, with its seven grammatical cases, compared to Slovenian’s six.

Despite these differences, cultural ties are firm and the proximity of the countries has always fostered mutual respect and understanding between speakers.

Differences between Russian and Serbian

At first glance, Serbian and Russian share many similarities. They sound similar and are often mistaken for one another – though mostly in Hollywood films, and by lesser connoisseurs. Truth to tell, both are Slavic languages, and their alphabets are indeed derived from the Cyrillic script. However, differences abound.

The first thing you can’t help hearing is how Serbian pronunciation tends to be more straightforward, closely following its spelling. Russian has more complex phonetics, including vowel reduction and harder-to-predict stress patterns.

Also, while Serbian and Russian both use cases, their specific rules and applications can differ significantly. For example, Serbian has a simpler case system compared to Russian’s six cases.

But the real trick is to know your way around myriads of false friends, i.e. words that sound the same or similar but have a completely different meaning. For instance, the Serbian word “familija” means “family,” while in Russian “фамилија” means “surname”. Another example could be the Serbian word for “life”, “život” and the Russian word with exactly the same spelling “живо́т”, meaning “stomach”. So you might want to be careful when you say to a Russian – My family is my life, don’t say it in Serbian!

One thing is for sure, if you speak either Serbian or Russian, learning the other language is easier – but don’t expect fluency to come without effort.

serbian flag

Albanian and Serbian Language

An isolate in the Indo-European language family, Albanian is a unique language in many ways. So there is no mistake when we say that there aren’t many similarities between Serbian and Albanian.

When it comes to phonetics, Albanian sounds are distinct, with sounds not present in Serbian. There is little overlap in both grammar and vocabulary, making the languages unintelligible to one another. However, in areas where both languages coexist, bilingualism is common, reflecting the multicultural tapestry of the Balkans.

What makes Serbian unique?

Serbian is a wonderfully melodious language – its Cyrillic alphabet is polished to one-letter-one-sound phonetic perfection. It is a language of incredible versatility and cultural depth. While closely related to its Slavic neighbours, Serbian’s rich linguistic identity is a fascinating subject for exploration.

Are you curious about how Serbian sounds or eager to compare it to your language? Dive into its world, and you’ll uncover a language that is simultaneously ancient and ever-evolving.

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