Bosniska

Bosniska is the standardized and official language of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a South Slavic language belonging to the Serbo-Croatian dialect continuum, along with Serbian and Croatian. Historically, these languages were considered a single language known as Serbo-Croatian, but political and cultural divergences have led to their separate codification and recognition as distinct languages. Bosniska is spoken by Bosniaks, the largest ethnic group in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as by other communities within the country and in the diaspora.

The grammar and vocabulary of Bosniska are largely mutually intelligible with Serbian and Croatian. However, there are some specific lexical differences, particularly in words of Turkish, Arabic, and Persian origin that have been retained in Bosniska due to the Ottoman influence on the region. The language uses both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, though the Latin alphabet is more commonly used in everyday life.

Bosniska has a rich literary tradition, with significant works produced throughout history. The standardization of Bosniska as a distinct language gained momentum in the early 1990s, following the breakup of Yugoslavia. It plays a crucial role in the cultural identity of Bosniaks and is used in education, media, and government within Bosnia and Herzegovina.