Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian

Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian are official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. They belong to a group of languages called South Slavic Languages, a subcategory of the Slavic Languages. There are about 17-20 million speakers of Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian worldwide. The language is also spoken in a big diaspora, mainly in Western Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Both alphabets, the Latin and the Cyrillic, are used. The alphabet which is based on the Latin one contains 30 letters, including the following additional letters: č, ć, dž, đ, lj, nj, š and ž. The Cyrillic-based alphabet in use is very similar to the one used to write in Russian, however, there are some differences.

We are confronted with one polycentric standardized language, a language that is used by several peoples in several different countries with notable varieties (just like German, English, Arabic, French, Spanisch, Portuguese etc.) This fact becomes evident with the Shtokavian dialect, that serves as a common ground for the standard language and with the relations of similarities and differences inside the language and the resulting degrees of mutual intelligibility.

The use of four names for the standardised varieties (Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian) does not mean that there are four different languages. All of the four modern standard varieties are equal and none of them could be considered a "main" standard variety. The fact that the language is a common polycentric one, gives every speaker the possibility to call it however they want to. The differences of the standard varieties and the differences in dialects do not justify a violent, institutional seperation. It is rather the opposite: They contribute to the enormous richness of one common language.

This course is based on communicative and hands-on language learning. The goals are to establish skills in four categories: speaking, listening, writing and reading. The courses are based on the current state of research. It is communicative, adapted to the learners, focused on exercises and intercultural. The students are encouraged to participate actively, because that facilitates their improving of communicative skills.

Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian I 

The course teaches basic grammatical knowledge and communicative skills (listening comprehension, reading, written and oral expression). In addition, students deal with the peculiarities of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, and practice the Cyrillic alphabet (reading and writing).

At the end of the course, students have learned to express themselves comprehensibly in everyday situations and to write simple texts.

Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian II

This course is aimed at advanced learners, who already have an adequate knowledge of the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian language. The skills that have already been acquired in the fields of vocabulary, grammar, conversation and grammatical structures will be extended.

At the end of the course, students will be able to express themselves in everyday situations (written and spoken language) and to understand and write more complex texts.

Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian III

BKMS III is an advanced course for those who already know BKMS very well. The course consists of two hours per week. In this course, knowledge and language competency is extended and deepened. Students learn to write complex texts on various topics. Materials (literary and other texts) are provided by the lecturer, with an emphasis on grammar.

The most important part of the course - it must not be boring. It is important to me, that the athmosphere in class is good. Not only do I want to teach my students how to say something in my mother tongue, but also give them an understanding of the culture through the language. Furthermore I want to create current links to the actual language area. Yes, we talk about politics (because language policies after the fall of Yugoslavia are an important topic), we watch films from former Yugoslavia, we translate literary texts and we sometimes listen to music as homework.

Lecturer of BCMS

Name / Titel

lic. phil. Deana Mandić Antić

Funktion

Lecturer of Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian

Mail

deana.antic@unibe.ch

Phone

+41 31 684 49 70

I studied the history of Yugoslavian literature and the - what was then called - Serbocroatian language at the University of Sarajevo. From 2001 until 2005, I worked as an intercultural interpreter at Linguadukt in Bern. For some years, I was a member of the editorial staff of the Bosnian-, Croatian-, Montenegrin- and Serbian-language radio programme "Balkan Express" for people from former Yugoslavia at Radio Rabe in Bern. Since the autumn semester 2008 I have been working as a lecturer at the University of Bern.

BCMS I: Two semesters for beginners without previous knowledge – 3 lessons per week.

BCMS II: Two semesters for intermediate learners – 3 lessons per week.

BCMS III: Two semesters for advanced learners – 2 lessons per week.

Students without previous knowledge may only start with BCMS I in the autumn semester. Students who do have previous knowledge may have the possibility to start at a higher course, only after consulting the lecturer.

BCMS I

Alois Schmaus, Lehrbuch der serbischen Sprache, Band I, neu bearbeitet von Vera Bojic, Verlag Otto Sagner, München 1996. 

Additional materials are distributed by the lecturer.

BCMS II

Alois Schmaus, Lehrbuch der serbischen Sprache, Band II, neu bearbeitet von Vera Bojic, Verlag Otto Sagner, München, 1996.

Snjezana Kordic, Kroatisch-Serbisch, Ein Lehrbuch für Fortgeschrittene mit Grammatik, Helmut Buske Verlag, Hamburg, 2004. 

Additional materials are distributed by the lecturer.

BCMS III

Materials (literary and other texts by authors from former Yugoslavia) are provided by the lecturer, with an emphasis on grammar.