View source for Languages of Montenegro

{{Short description|None}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages in Montenegro {{small|(2023 census)}}<ref name=Monstat>{{cite web|title=Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2023|url=https://monstat.org/uploads/files/popis%202021/saopstenja/SAOPSTENJE_Popis%20stanovnistva%202023%20II_cg.pdf|publisher=Monstat|access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Serbian language|Serbian]]
|value1 = 43.18 
|color1 = Blue
|label2 = [[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]]
|value2 = 34.52
|color2 = Red
|label3 = [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]]
|value3 = 6.97
|color3 = Green
|label4 = [[Albanian language|Albanian]]
|value4 = 5.25
|color4 = Black
|label5 = [[Russian language|Russian]]
|value5 = 2.36
|color5 = White
|label6 = [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]]
|value6 = 2.08
|color6 = Gold
|label7 = Other
|value7 = 5.64
|color7 = Grey
}}

'''Languages of Montenegro''' are [[languages]] that are spoken in [[Montenegro]]. According to the [[Constitution of Montenegro]] that was adopted in 2007, Montenegro has only one [[official language]], specified as [[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]], even though [[Serbian language|Serbian]] is used by 43% of the population and Montenegrin by 35% of population.<ref name=Monstat>{{cite web|title=Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2023|url=https://monstat.org/uploads/files/popis%202021/saopstenja/SAOPSTENJE_Popis%20stanovnistva%202023%20II_cg.pdf|publisher=Monstat|access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref>  There is an ongoing debate about the distinct nature of Montenegrin language in relation to the [[Dialects of Serbo-Croatian|Serbo-Croatian dialectal continuum]].<ref name="d645">{{cite book | last=Arsenijevic | first=B. | title=Encyclopedia of Language &amp; Linguistics | chapter=Serbia and Montenegro: Language Situation | publisher=Elsevier | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-08-044854-1 | doi=10.1016/b0-08-044854-2/01823-x | page=255–256}}</ref><ref name="g445">{{cite web | last=Browne | first=Wayles | title=Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian language | website=Encyclopedia Britannica | date=1998-07-20 | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian-language/Serbo-Croatian-in-the-20th-century-and-after | access-date=2024-10-18}}</ref> Montenegrin 
can be written in both the [[Latin script|Latin]] and [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] alphabets, but there is a growing political movement to use only the Latin alphabet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ghfAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT32|title=Introduction to Montenegro|first=Gilad James|last=PhD|publisher=Gilad James Mystery School|accessdate=17 December 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Legally recognized minority languages are [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], and [[Croatian language|Croatian]]. As of 2017, Albanian is an official language of the municipalities of [[Podgorica]], [[Ulcinj]], [[Bar, Montenegro|Bar]], [[Pljevlja]], [[Rozaje]] and [[Tuzi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocnal.com/2017/03/albanian-language-official-in-montenegro.html|title=Albanian language official in Montenegro|website=Oculus News|access-date=2019-09-23}}</ref>
Additionally, there are a few hundred Italians in Montenegro, concentrated in the [[Bay of Kotor]] (''Cattaro'').

[[Romani language|Romani]] is a protected language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-charter-regional-or-minority-languages/-/montenegro-a-need-to-improve-promotion-of-the-romani-language-among-other-findings-in-minority-language-report|title=Montenegro: A need to improve promotion of the Romani language, among other findings in minority language report - European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages - www.coe.int|website=European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages|accessdate=17 December 2023}}</ref>

==Minority languages of Montenegro ==
[[File:UlcinjSchilder.jpg|thumb|Bilingual signs in [[Ulcinj]].]]

The [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] entered into force in [[Montenegro]] in June 2006, following the independence of Montenegro from the State Union of [[Serbia and Montenegro]] on 3 June 2006.<ref name="Press release - DC074(2015)">{{cite web|url=https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?Ref=DC-PR074(2015)&Language=lanEnglish&Ver=original&Site=DC&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColorIntranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE|title=Minority languages in Montenegro: new evaluation report released|publisher=[[Council of Europe]]|access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> The [[Constitution of Montenegro]] from 2007 states that [[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]] is the [[official language]] of the country, while [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and [[Albanian language|Albanian]] are languages in official use.<ref name="Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2012/Dzankic.pdf|title=Montenegro’s Minorities in the Tangles of Citizenship, Participation, and Access to Rights|publisher=Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe|format=PDF|access-date=26 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923233135/http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2012/Dzankic.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Constitution states that languages in official use are those of groups that form at least 1% of the population of Montenegro, as per the 2003 population census.<ref name="Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe" /> The Law on National Minorities specifies that the percentage of members of national minorities in total population of the local government should be 15% in order for their language and script to be introduced in official use.<ref name="Manjine u Crnoj Gori zakonodavstvo i praksa">{{cite web|url=http://rae-portal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/manjine-u-crnogorskom-zakonodavstvu.pdf|title=Manjine u Crnoj Gori zakonodavstvo i praksa|publisher=[[Youth Initiative for Human Rights]]| format=PDF|access-date=26 June 2015}}</ref> Media founded by the Montenegro government are obliged to broadcast news, cultural, educational, sports and entertainment programs in minority languages.<ref name="Manjine u Crnoj Gori zakonodavstvo i praksa" /> Minorities and their members have the right to education in their language in regular and vocational education.<ref name="Manjine u Crnoj Gori zakonodavstvo i praksa" />

==Dialects== 
{{Main|Shtokavian dialects}}
{| class="wikitable"
!| Map || Dialect || Notes
|- 
|Rowspan=2| [[File:Montenegrin dialects.jpg|200px]] 
|{{colorbox|#ffffb3}} [[Eastern Herzegovinian dialect|Eastern Herzegovinian]]
|*Dialect spoken in the western and<br>northwestern regions of the country.
|-
|{{colorbox|#ff0000}}{{colorbox|#ff8080}} [[Shtokavian#Zeta–Raška|Zeta–Raška]]
|*Dialect spoken in the eastern and <br>southeastern parts of the country.
|}

==See also==
{{commons category|Languages of Montenegro}} 
*[[Languages of Yugoslavia]]
*[[Controversy over ethnic and linguistic identity in Montenegro]]
**[[Declaration on the Common Language]]
**[[Language secessionism#In Serbo-Croatian|Language secessionism in Serbo-Croatian]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{CIA World Factbook|year=2006}}

{{Languages of Montenegro}}
{{Montenegro topics}}
{{Languages of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Languages Of Montenegro}}
[[Category:Languages of Montenegro| ]]