A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CROATIAN LANGUAGE & BEST PHRASES YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING!

If you want to learn a bit about the history of the Croatian language and pick up a few helpful phrases before coming to Croatia, I’m here to help!

When you visit Croatia, you’ll quickly notice that Croatian has a very distinctive sound, and it’s definitely not the easiest language to learn. It will probably seem familiar if you speak another Slavic language, but Croatian has its own history, vocabulary, alphabet, and regional varieties.

The story of the Croatian language is closely connected to the history of the Croatian people, which we’ve already covered. Over more than a thousand years, Croatian has been influenced by different cultures and languages, while also developing its own literary and national tradition. Keep reading to find out more!

THE SLAVIC ROOTS

The Croatian language belongs to the South Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family, together with Slovenian, Serbian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Bulgarian, and Macedonian.

The ancestors of modern Croatian developed their language after Slavic peoples settled in this part of Europe during the 6th and 7th centuries. Of course, there was no standardized Croatian language at the time. Different Slavic dialects were spoken across the region, and over time, they gradually developed into the languages and dialects we know today.

Croatian was also shaped by the languages of the peoples who lived here before the Slavs, as well as by centuries of contact with Latin, Italian, German, Hungarian, and Turkish.

THE FIRST CROATIAN WRITTEN WORDS

One of the most fascinating things about Croatian is that its written history goes back more than a thousand years.

The earliest Croatian texts were written in Old Church Slavonic, the first literary Slavic language, rather than exactly the Croatian we know today. It was brought to the Slavic world in the 9th century by Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius and their followers.

What makes Croatia especially interesting is its use of the Glagolitic script. Since it was created in the 9th century, Glagolitic is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. Croatian priests continued using it for centuries, so Croatia was one of the places where this ancient script survived the longest.

If you travel around Croatia, you’ll probably notice Glagolitic letters on monuments, churches, souvenirs, and signs. They’re one of the most recognisable symbols of Croatia’s linguistic heritage!

THE BAŠKA TABLET

One of the most important monuments in the history of the Croatian language is the Baška Tablet, created around the year 1100 on the island of Krk. The tablet was written in Croatian Church Slavonic using the Glagolitic script and it contains one of the earliest known records of the Croatian name in a Croatian linguistic context. It also records a land donation by King Zvonimir to the Church.

The Baška Tablet is often called the “birth certificate of Croatian literacy,” although Croatian writing and literature existed before it. Today, it remains one of the most important symbols of Croatian cultural and linguistic history. If you’re visiting Krk Island, you can actually see a faithful replica in the exact church where the original was found, which is St. Lucia’s Church in Jurandvor, just outside Baška!

LATIN, GLAGOLITIC AND CROATIAN CYRILLIC

For much of the Middle Ages, Croatian was written using several writing traditions. Croatian texts were written in several scripts, most importantly Glagolitic, Latin, and Croatian Cyrillic, also known as bosancica. Glagolitic was especially important in the Croatian coastal regions and in liturgical life, while Latin became increasingly dominant in administration, scholarship, and eventually general writing.

Croatian writers also produced works in different languages depending on the region and purpose. Latin was important for educated and official communication, while Croatian developed as a language of literature and everyday life.

 In 1483, only a few decades after Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, the Missal by the Law of the Roman Court was printed in Croatian Church Slavonic using the Glagolitic script. It is considered the first printed Croatian book and the first European printed book in a non-Latin script.

THE CROATIAN NATIONAL REVIVAL (THE ILLYRIAN MOVEMENT)

The Croatian language entered a new and particularly important period in the 19th century. Across Europe, national movements were becoming stronger, and Croatia was no exception. During the Croatian National Revival, writers and intellectuals worked to strengthen the Croatian language, literature, education, and national identity.

One of the most important figures was Ljudevit Gaj, who played a major role in standardising Croatian spelling and promoting the Latin alphabet. The Croatian alphabet was gradually shaped into the system we largely use today, including letters such as č, ć, đ, š, and ž.

The National Revival also encouraged the use of Croatian instead of German and Hungarian in public life and education. Language became an important part of the growing Croatian national consciousness.

THE MODERN CROATIAN LANGUAGE

The 20th century brought a new chapter in the history of the Croatian language. After Yugoslavia was created in 1918, questions about language became closely connected with politics and national identity.

One of the most important moments came in 1954 with the Novi Sad Agreement, when Croatian and Serbian linguists agreed to work towards a common standard language, often referred to as Serbo-Croatian or Croato-Serbian. While the agreement allowed for some differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, many Croatian linguists and writers felt that it was gradually reducing the visibility and status of the Croatian literary language.

The issue became increasingly important during the 1960s. In 1967, prominent Croatian writers, linguists, and cultural institutions published the Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language, calling for the Croatian language to have its own name and equal status rather than being treated simply as a regional version of one unified language.

This became an important part of the growing Croatian Spring, a movement that reached its peak in 1971. Students, intellectuals, writers, and political figures called for greater rights and autonomy for Croatia within Yugoslavia, with language and cultural identity being an important part of the movement.

The Yugoslav leadership eventually suppressed the Croatian Spring, and many people involved were removed from their positions, imprisoned, or otherwise persecuted. However, the debate over the Croatian language continued.

When Croatia declared independence in 1991, Croatian became the official language of the newly independent Republic of Croatia. Today, Croatian is a standardized South Slavic language with its own grammar, dictionaries, literature, terminology, and linguistic norms.

For visitors, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin may seem very similar because they are closely related and speakers can generally understand one another. However, each has its own history, standardisation, and cultural identity, which is important to understand when learning about the languages of the region.

THREE MAIN DIALECTS

One of the most interesting things about Croatian is that it has three major dialect groups: Chakavian, Kajkavian, and Shtokavian. Their names actually come from the word each dialect traditionally uses for “what”!

Chakavian is traditionally associated with much of the Croatian Adriatic coast and islands. Kajkavian is mainly spoken in northern Croatia, including the area around Zagreb, while Shtokavian covers large parts of eastern, central, and southern Croatia.

All three dialects have influenced the development of Croatian literature and language, but eventually, Shtokavian became the main basis of the modern standard Croatian language.

PHRASES IN CROATIAN LANGUAGE YOU SHOULD KNOW

If you like using the language of the locals when you travel, this part of the blog is for you! Croatians generally speak English very well, so you definitely don’t need to know Croatian to get around. However, locals will absolutely appreciate it if you make an effort to say a few words in Croatian.

One of my readers actually recommended putting a wallpaper with some useful Croatian words on your phone, so you can easily look them up and try to use them whenever you need them. I thought that was such a great idea! If you’d like to do the same, use the photo below and just screenshot it to save it on your phone!

CONCLUSION: HISTORY OF THE CROATIAN LANGUAGE AND CROATIAN TODAY

Today, Croatian is spoken by millions of people, primarily in Croatia and neighbouring areas. It is also one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Modern Croatian is written in the Latin alphabet and has a relatively phonemic orthography, meaning that you can generally tell how a word is pronounced from the way it’s written.

The Croatian language is more than just a way to communicate. Its history tells the story of a country that has stood at the crossroads of different civilizations for centuries. From ancient Glagolitic inscriptions and medieval manuscripts to the distinctive letters of the modern Croatian alphabet, the language carries a thousand-year-old cultural heritage that is still very much alive today.

Now you know how important Croatian is to us, and why absolutely every local will love you if you even make an effort to say a word or two in Croatian. I highly encourage you to try and remember at least “Hvala!” because you’ll definitely get some smiles for that!