Expressing Croatian identity through language designations

Sa？etak This paper discusses different definitions of identity with a focus on the place of language in these definitions. The centuries-long study of the standardisation of the Croatian language shows that the notion of a national language is also a component of a group’s collective identity. This paper gives an overview of designations used for the Croatian language, from the first known records to those used in the 21st century. These records clearly show that in past centuries language was indeed a connecting link between Croatian areas otherwise disconnected from each other through administrative or other boundaries. Language as an indicator of identity is also apparent in reactions to some recent EU initiatives that have suggested that collective terms such as ‘Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian’ or ‘Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian’ could be employed to also encompass the Croatian language