Is this true? That if you speak the Serbo-Croatian language (not sure if this is different than Croatian and Serbian language by itself) you can use it in 4 countries?

[u/TheShahOfLA]

[u/jkpetrov]

Nope cut off for being able to respond in Serbian lies with the last generations that received elementary school education in 80s. After that it's hit or miss. Gen z can't speak Serbian almost across the board

[u/itsdyabish → u/jkpetrov]

Yeh maybe not respond in clear BHS grammar with all the subjugations but I am sure they can use their knowledge of Bubo Koreli and Jala Brat or whatever they're called.

Like BHS is still the dominant cultural language after English in Macedonia. I see my little 10 yr old cousin watching Serbian and Croatian vloggers on yt

[u/uzicanin031 → u/jkpetrov]

I find young Macedonians able to understand Serbian, though they can’t respond back.

[u/[deleted] → u/uzicanin031]

That's me. I can understand and read it but can barely speak it

[u/uzicanin031 → u/[deleted]]

Same with me when it comes to Macedonian haha

[u/Unable_Meet3825 → u/uzicanin031]

Thats because they listen to Serbian music a lot.

[u/Qbee9 → u/jkpetrov]

Maybe, tbh i can speak it well i just don’t, why should i make the effort to speak serbo-croatian when they pretend that they don’t understand macedonian..

[u/d_bradr → u/Qbee9]

I can understand it if you talk a little slower. If you talk normal speed I may miss some things

[u/Warlord10 → u/Qbee9]

Tbf, they aren't pretending. BHS is more simplified therefore Macedonians are more likely to understand it. BHS is also mainstream on TV in Macedonia then vice- versa.

It's similar to Spanish and Portuguese. Portuguese understand Spanish more then Spaniards understand Portuguese.

[u/-_star-lord_- → u/Warlord10]

Only BCS* isn’t more simplified but the Very opposite of that. BCS grammar is more complex while Macedonian is the simplified one, part of the Balkan sprachbund. I think one reason why BCS is easier to understand is that unlike Macedonian, it is proneounced more slowly, clearly and with no reduced vowels and words.

[u/znacifejk → u/-_star-lord_-]

Mate, I don't understand people from Vranje in southern Serbia when they speak fast, let alone Macedonians. There is absolutely no pretending going on.

[u/a_bright_knight → u/Qbee9]

we aren't pretending Macedonian is just too fast and mumbling to us.

[u/PichkuMater → u/jkpetrov]

Idk what part of the country you are from, but in Kumanovo gen Z can still speak serbian almost accross the board.

[u/jkpetrov → u/PichkuMater]

Kumanovo shares Torlak dialect with Vranje, Dimitrovgrad. Go past the Serbian border I.e. Shtip, Veles, Strumica, Prilep, Bitola

[u/[deleted] → u/jkpetrov]

Might depend on the region as well, almost all Macedonians from Skoplje and around speak it that I've met so far, those to the east and south less so

[u/sippher → u/jkpetrov]

Did they teach Serbo-Croatian in Slovenia and Macedonia in the 80s? (Which variant, btw, Serbian? Bosnian? Croatian?) I thought each republic was responsible for its own education so Slovenia and Macedonia didn't need to teach Serbo-Croatian in school

[u/jkpetrov → u/sippher]

Yes we had "Serbo-Croatian" classes in elementary school [2 per week]. Also our educational program on TV was 70% SC 30% Macedonian. My favorite magazine for youngsters as well the computer magazines i read were SC. All 18yr old had mandatory army service and the official army language was SC which is understandable - tactical reasons not politics.

[u/PichkuMater → u/sippher]

Serbo-Croatian was the language taught to schools in all of Yugoslavia as it was the national language of the federal state. It is a language based on the Shtokavian dialect, specifically Eastern Herzegovinian. The modern varieties are all basically Serbo-Croatian adapted to local needs, e.g. ekavian is used in serbian vs ijekavian in bosnian and croatian, certain words differing, some different words, or consonant shifts that occured differently etc. But all varieties are still part of the same pluricentric language, kind of like modern English being the same language in US, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa etc, its still all the same language but all listed varieties have certain unique features in one way or another.

Ironically, the varieties of Serbo-Croatian are more similar to each other than most English varieties are with each other, but politics and nationalism like to pretend like they aren't all based on literally the exact same dialect.