During this course we will examine various phenomena related to the language known as Serbo-Croatian, on the one hand, and, on the other, to the languages known as Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian. In connection with this, concepts such as language death and language birth are explored. A brief history of Serbo-Croatian will be provided and compared to an even more brief history of the peoples who spoke the language. The relation between dialect and language is analyzed and then specifically applied to the region in question. Notions of language politics, language standardization, and language codification in the Balkans are necessarily analyzed. Also, certain elements of the structures of Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian are briefly addressed for purposes of making linguistic comparisons.

There is no textbook for the course. Students will be required to purchase a course pack (at the RAMS COPY CENTER, 4144 University Way Northeast Seattle, WA 98105).