Serbian signs of the times are not in Cyrillic

A symptom of Westernization: Serbs read and write as well with the Latin alphabet.

from the May 29, 2008 edition

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But, Sanja Teric, who teaches Serbian language and literature to fifth and sixth graders, fears a future sans Cyrillic.

Like many Serbs, she's proud of her linguistic heritage and sees the use of the different alphabets as a sign of her people's successful straddling of two worlds.

"We consider it an advantage to have both scripts in use, but when it comes to our national identity, we consider that Cyrillic is part of our heritage," she says, opening a Serbian-language textbook and pointing to diagram showing how different Slavic languages developed.

Cyrillic has been used in Serbia for more than 1,000 years and, for much of that time, it was the primary difference between the two branches of the Serbian and Croatian branches of the language. When the Christian world split in 1054, Balkan Slavic-speakers straddled that fault-line. As literacy spread in the Middle Ages, in the south, where Catholicism dominated, people adopted the Latin alphabet. In the western regions, where the Orthodox religion held sway, the people adopted Cyrillic. At times, and in certain places, the language was also written in Arabic, and an alphabet called Glagoljica. In the mid-19th century, a linguist named Vuk Karadzic adapted Russian Cyrillic to the Serbian language, developing an alphabet that had exactly one symbol for each sound.

At the Vladislav Ribnikar Experimental Primary School school where Ms. Teric teaches Serbian language and literature, students study how to write their native tongue in both Serbian Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. But Cyrillic is the sole official script designated by the 2006 constitution. And last month, the school received a visit from the Ministry of Education explaining new rules about which script must be used when. Class lists and records, for example, must be kept in Serbian Cyrillic, except in foreign language classes.

"As a small people, it's important for us to preserve [Cyrillic], just like the Russians do," Teric says. "Sometimes I think we're ashamed of our own alphabet." She adds that she believes that Serbs sometimes are inclined to think that things from the West are better, and are too willing to adopt things from outside. She cites the example of Russia, where the signs for McDonald's are written in Cyrillic; in Belgrade, they look just like in America.

But she and others also say they notice the creeping influence of the Latin script – and foreign words – in their own lives. One day, they suddenly notice that their signature is in Latin, not Cyrillic. Or that they've started using an English word – like "trend" – when there's a perfectly good Serbian one that means the same.

Some, like Professor Tomic, who also heads Serbia's UNESCO committee, believes Serbia can continue to straddle both worlds, West and East, Latin and Cyrillic. Some of her colleagues at the university believe she should work to protect Cyrillic. Another professor once criticized her, saying it was inappropriate for a professor to sign her name with Latin characters. But Tomic dismisses such ideas as unrealistic. Her recent scholarly book – a cultural critique of globalization on communication – is published in Latin characters, and it's a Serbian best-seller.

Still, she does defend Cyrillic letters: "Serbian Cyrillic is very old, the most logical linguistic system in the world. It's absolutely fantastic, an absolutely fantastic script," she says. "But it's good for us to have the richness of both. When you're a small country, you need to preserve your heritage and reach out."

Teric agrees. While she worries about the fate of Cyrillic, she wouldn't abandon the Latin alphabet even if it were practical to do so: "I think it's wonderful that after all the political troubles, we can all still understand each other."

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