Author: Evelina Grozdanova
Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv
Published in: Slavyanski dialozi, 2011, 12
Abstract: The text traces the development of the Croatian written language. It marks the different periods and outlines their main specificities. The emphasis is upon the standardization processes which took part in the 19th century.
Croatian language is the general name for the standard language of the Croats as well as for the sum of dialects that speakers have used in the past or are using today. It has three dialects: Štokavian, Kajkavian and Čakavian, named after the interrogative pronouns što?, kaj? and ča? (which are analogues of the Russian chto?). Today’s standard literary language is mostly based on New Štokavian forms of Ijekavian pronunciation and is written using the Roman script.
Key words: history of Croatiаn language, periodization of Croatian language, standardization of Croatian language