European Union Accession and the Future of Croatian Language Policy

This paper examines the past and present of Croatian language policy and advances expectations for the future of said policy. I first provide background on the present state of language policy in Croatia, namely how Croatian language policy has been formulated with the intention of widening the cultural difference between Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia. Croatian language policy has also been in response to perceived Serbian linguistic hegemony during the Yugoslav years. Despite the nationalist character of the new Croatian standard language, ethnic minorities in Croatia have been willing to assimilate linguistically because of the perceived advantages Croatia has over the other former Yugoslav states. Croatia has moved more quickly through the European Union accession process, which is seen as the result of Croatia's economic, political and cultural advantages as a European rather than Balkan state. Despite the evidence that Croatia is better off as part of Europe, the European Union expects Croatia to play a strong role in helping the rest of the Balkans move forward. Additionally, the Croatian people heavily support E.U. accession for the rest of the Balkans. The future qualities of the Croatian language will be largely influenced by the tensions between the current policy, rooted in strong nationalism, and expectations of future regional cooperation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Slavic and East European Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Cluff, Taylor Denvin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Suchland, Jennifer

• Slavic Studies

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366247421

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366247421