When is a language a language and when is it a dialect?
In 2007, a year after this small Balkan country broke from its big sister Serbia, Montenegrin - or Crnogorski - became the official language, as defined by the constitution.
To read more:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8520466.stm
Montenegro offers a compact meeting place for coast, mountains and closely related forms of speech. Begin with U Crnoj Gori more dodiruje strme planine.; its scene gives the new language somewhere concrete to stand.
Speak from the memorable clue in montenegro and its language
Montenegro offers a compact meeting place for coast, mountains and closely related forms of speech. Compare the five examples for meaning before analysing their forms. In Na primorju se leti čuju mnogi jezici., identify the word that carries the central idea; then notice how the remaining words make its person, place or time precise.
Five sentences that belong only to montenegro and its language
| Latinica | Ćirilica | English |
|---|---|---|
| U Crnoj Gori more dodiruje strme planine. | У Црној Гори море додирује стрме планине. | In Montenegro the sea meets steep mountains. |
| Cetinje čuva važne istorijske zgrade. | Цетиње чува важне историјске зграде. | Cetinje preserves important historic buildings. |
| Na primorju se leti čuju mnogi jezici. | На приморју се лети чују многи језици. | Many languages are heard on the coast in summer. |
| Planinari rano kreću prema Prokletijama. | Планинари рано крећу према Проклетијама. | Hikers set off early towards the Prokletije mountains. |
| Domaćin gostima nudi pršutu i sir. | Домаћин гостима нуди пршуту и сир. | The host offers the guests prosciutto and cheese. |
From Cetinje čuva važne istorijske zgrade. to independent speech
Read Domaćin gostima nudi pršutu i sir. once as a statement with real intention. Next, change the subject or time phrase and repair every form affected by that choice. Finish by linking your new sentence to Cetinje čuva važne istorijske zgrade. in a two-line exchange that could genuinely happen.
A five-step challenge shaped by Na primorju se leti čuju mnogi jezici.
- Give the English meaning of U Crnoj Gori more dodiruje strme planine..
- Reconstruct in Serbian: “Cetinje preserves important historic buildings.”
- Write Na primorju se leti čuju mnogi jezici. in Cyrillic.
- Change one grammatical detail in Planinari rano kreću prema Prokletijama..
- Ask a natural question that could produce Domaćin gostima nudi pršutu i sir. as an answer.
Answers waiting beyond Planinari rano kreću prema Prokletijama.
- In Montenegro the sea meets steep mountains.
- Cetinje čuva važne istorijske zgrade. / Цетиње чува важне историјске зграде.
- На приморју се лети чују многи језици.
- More than one answer is possible; all connected forms must remain in agreement.
- Questions vary, but the final Serbian sentence must answer them naturally.