Language Imprisoned by Identities; or, Why Language Should Be Defended
Language Imprisoned by Identities; or, Why Language Should Be Defended
This chapter demonstrates how language should be defended from the phenomenon of “identitization” in South Slavic languages, and especially in cases when language has obtained the status of dialect while standard idioms have obtained the status of language. The primary beneficiary of identitization is not language since in that process language appears only as a vehicle of standardization of identity. The aim of identitization is not for the language to be asserted but for the identity to assert itself. In Yugoslavia since the mid-1950s the period of grammar of nation ended and the period of state vernaculars began. In this new period the language has lost its autonomy and its vitality has been restricted. Examples are given from contemporary idioms to demonstrate what happens when language is placed in the mold of state vernacular as well as how polyglossia defends language both from itself and from ourselves.
Keywords: identitization, standard idiom, standard language, state vernacular, standardization of identity, polyglossia
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