08.04.2024. » 10:23

OP - ED Language, Culture, and Identity in Kosovo

Language is the primary form of communication among people, something unique to humanity. Through language, we express thoughts and feelings. Language is a key element of identity and, as such, should be preserved and developed. Through language, we identify and relate ourselves to a group in terms of belonging or difference.

Bugarski provided an example of how one identifies through language: "Each of us could say the following: the fact that I use one of the existing natural languages testifies that I am a member of the human race; the fact that this language is, in my case, Croatian (or any other) makes me a member of a whole range of social groups; and the specifics of my personal use of that language say something about my uniqueness, as a person with a name and surname."

However, few consider what language actually is. We use it daily and, practically, in all situations. But what would you do if there were no language?

When we mention communication, we must bear in mind that success depends on the speaker's ability to convey a message to another person. In this context, misunderstandings often arise if speakers do not share the same culture, knowledge of the world, religion, art, laws, customs, and morals.

By adopting the language of their community, individuals also adopt, along with it, the culture, including its history, customs, and laws. Learning or acquiring the language of another community is not at all an easy task because, in addition to mastering the language, it requires understanding the cultural specifics of the community. This leads us to the simple conclusion that language and culture are closely linked because the expression of thoughts and feelings is conditioned by symbolic forms learned during upbringing, which further means that the culture of the community shapes one's view of the world. There can be no culture without linguistic expression, nor language without cultural content; these are two systems that are entirely dependent on each other and complement each other. If someone wants to study the culture of a society, they must know and study its language because culture is reflected in language and is expressed through it.

Generally, the Balkans is a geographically small area where three religions and a multitude of languages are situated. Since humans are social beings, they live in communities and have a need for communication and expression. In such a small geographical area, languages and peoples are in constant interaction with each other. In this way, languages have mixed, developed historically, and influenced each other, becoming richer and more developed.

The coexistence of multiple languages in one community opens up more opportunities to understand the values on which we strive to build our society. Languages can be more or less equal, and in that respect, they can be a useful tool but also a weapon.

As I have already mentioned, the primary function of language is communication. The more similar languages are, the easier communication is. In Serbian and Albanian, there is actually a rich fund of words that do not require translation. We inherited a rich common fund from Turkish in the field of culinary arts, while most of the scientific, administrative, and legal vocabulary was inherited from Latin, French, English, and generally European languages. In the NGO CASA project, in which I myself participated, called "Dictionary of Words That Do Not Require Translation," we found many words of Slavic and Illyrian origin that found their way into the usage of both languages. For example, we have words like "anteri/anterija," "gunë/gunj," "vatër/vatra," "magar/magarac."

The essence of this project was not only to find these words but also to connect young Albanians and Serbs. Considering that our peoples have lived in neighboring areas for centuries, unfortunately, the self-isolation of both communities has led to the fact that we have not managed to get to know each other's cultures, traditions, and consequently, languages at all. The evidence of leading parallel lives is also today's younger generations in Kosovo, who unfortunately have no common ground among themselves, and even if some contact occurs, it mostly happens in English, which is culturally much more distant and foreign to us.

Students of Balkan Studies in Pristina and Albanology in Belgrade truly represent a bridge between two peoples who have deeply ingrained prejudices for centuries. They are a new generation that will understand through acquaintance with the opposite side, its traditions, and culture, how close and similar we are, and through their engagement, they will break down those prejudices.

By recognizing and getting to know the other, we will not diminish or disrespect our values in any way. On the contrary, we will enrich our spirit and mind and broaden our views of the world and life. Because only by living together in peace can we progress as individuals, as groups, and as a multilingual and multinational community.

Another goal of the project was to highlight the similarities between our two peoples and, to some extent, facilitate communication in two languages that belong to two different language families within the Indo-European languages: Serbian belongs to the South Slavic family, while Albanian is a separate branch of the Indo-European language, alongside Greek and Armenian. Although most of the vocabulary is inherited from other languages, what they have in common is that these words have survived in the usage of both languages to this day and have retained a similar phonetic and graphic form.

At the very end, I would like to highlight a few quotes.

In his book "The Death of Language," David Crystal lists arguments that speak to why linguistic diversity is important, or why we should care about it. In short, diversity is necessary, just like biological diversity. Language is a historical archive in which all events, all contacts with other peoples and languages, are stored. Language is a way of expressing identity. Languages contribute to the totality of human knowledge. And Crystal concludes, all languages are equally valuable and interesting in themselves.

And as Nelson Mandela once said: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that will go to his head. If you talk to him in his mother tongue, that will touch his heart."

That's what we need to keep in mind in Kosovo. That is the message to the future generations.

Nora Bezera, linguist