Editing Serbo-Croatian (section)

=== Views of international linguists and organizations ===
Linguist Enisa Kafadar<!-- linguist dr. Enisa Kafadar Pliska, lecturer at the University of Passau --> argues that there is only one Serbo-Croatian language with several varieties.<ref name="Kafadar">{{cite book |last=Kafadar |first=Enisa |editor1-last=Henn-Memmesheimer |editor1-first=Beate |editor2-last=Franz |editor2-first=Joachim |title=Die Ordnung des Standard und die Differenzierung der Diskurse; Teil 1 |publisher=Peter Lang |page=103 |language=de |chapter=Bosnisch, Kroatisch, Serbisch – Wie spricht man eigentlich in Bosnien-Herzegowina? |trans-chapter=Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian – How do people really speak in Bosnia-Herzegovina? |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=63hKaFGtTDAC&pg=PA95 |location=Frankfurt am Main |year=2009 |isbn=9783631599174 |oclc=699514676 }}</ref> This has made it possible to include all four varieties in new grammars of the language.<ref name=ThomasOsipov>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Paul-Louis |last2=Osipov |first2=Vladimir |year=2012 |title=Grammaire du bosniaque, croate, monténégrin, serbe |trans-title=Grammar of Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian |language=fr |series = Collection de grammaires de l'Institut d'études slaves |volume = 8 |location=Paris |publisher=Institut d'études slaves |page=624 |isbn=9782720404900 |oclc=805026664}}</ref><ref>Ronelle Alexander, ''Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: A Grammar with Sociolinguistic Commentary'' (2006, The University of Wisconsin Press)</ref> Daniel Bunčić<!-- linguist dr. Daniel Bunčić, Professor of Slavic Studies at the University of Cologne --> concludes that it is a pluricentric language, with four standard variants spoken in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.<ref name="Buncic">{{cite book |last=Bunčić |first=Daniel |editor-last=Kempgen |editor-first=Sebastian |title = Deutsche Beiträge zum 14. Internationalen Slavistenkongress, Ohrid, 2008 |series=Welt der Slaven |publisher=Otto Sagner |page=93 |language=de |chapter=Die (Re-)Nationalisierung der serbokroatischen Standards |trans-chapter=The (Re-)Nationalisation of Serbo-Croatian Standards |location=Munich |year=2008 |oclc=238795822 }}</ref> The mutual intelligibility between their speakers "exceeds that between the standard variants of English, French, German, or Spanish".{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=325}} "There is no doubt of the near 100% mutual intelligibility of (standard) Croatian and (standard) Serbian, as is obvious from the ability of all groups to enjoy each others' films, TV and sports broadcasts, newspapers, rock lyrics etc."<ref name="Bailyn">{{cite journal|title=To what degree are Croatian and Serbian the same language? Evidence from a Translation Study|last=Bailyn|first=John Frederick|journal=Journal of Slavic Linguistics|year=2010|volume=18|issue=2|pages=181–219|url=https://linguistics.stonybrook.edu/people/_bios/_linguistics-faculty/_faculty-files/bailyn/publications/JSLBCS2.pdf|access-date=9 October 2019|issn=1068-2090|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009113158/https://linguistics.stonybrook.edu/people/_bios/_linguistics-faculty/_faculty-files/bailyn/publications/JSLBCS2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other linguists have argued that the differences between the variants of Serbo-Croatian are less significant than those between the variants of English,<ref>{{cite journal|author=McLennan, Sean |title=Sociolinguistic Analysis of "Serbo-Croatian" |trans-title=Sociolinguistic Analysis of 'Serbo-Croatian' |url = http://www.shaav.com/professional/linguistics/serbocroation.pdf |journal=Calgary Working Papers in Linguistics |volume=18 |page=107 |year=1996 |issn=0823-0579 |access-date=10 August 2014 }}</ref> German,{{Sfn | Pohl | 1996 | p = 219}} Dutch,{{Sfn | Gröschel | 2003 | pp = 180–181}} and [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]].{{Sfn | Blum | 2002 | pp = 125–126}}

Among pluricentric languages,<ref>{{cite book |last=Brozović |first=Dalibor |author-link=Dalibor Brozović |editor-last=Clyne |editor-first=Michael G. |editor-link=Michael Clyne |title=Pluricentric Languages: Differing Norms in Different Nations |publisher=[[De Gruyter|Mouton de Gruyter]] |pages=347–380 |chapter=Serbo-Croatian as a pluricentric language |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wawGFWNuHiwC&q=serbo-croatian+pluricentric&pg=PA347 |series=Contributions to the sociology of language |volume = 62 |location=Berlin & New York |year=1992 |isbn=9783110128550 |oclc=24668375 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kordić |first=Snježana |author-link=Snježana Kordić |editor1-last=Badurina |editor1-first=Lada |editor2-last=Pranjković |editor2-first=Ivo |editor2-link=Ivo Pranjković |editor3-last=Silić |editor3-first=Josip |title=Jezični varijeteti i nacionalni identiteti |publisher=Disput |pages=85–89 |language=sh |chapter=Policentrični standardni jezik |trans-chapter=Polycentric Standard Language |chapter-url = http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426269.POLICENTRICNI_STANDARDNI.PDF |location=Zagreb |year=2009 |isbn=978-953-260-054-4 |oclc=437306433 |ssrn=3438216 |id={{CROSBI|426269}} |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120529002544/http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426269.POLICENTRICNI_STANDARDNI.PDF |url-status=live |archive-date = 29 May 2012 |url = http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426269.POLICENTRICNI_STANDARDNI.PDF }} [http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC07252152 (ÖNB)].</ref> Serbo-Croatian was the only one with a pluricentric standardisation within one state.{{Sfn | Ammon | 1995 | p = 46}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Kordić |first=Snježana |author-link=Snježana Kordić |editor1-last=Krause |editor1-first=Marion |editor2-last=Sappok |editor2-first=Christian |title=Slavistische Linguistik 2002: Referate des XXVIII. Konstanzer Slavistischen Arbeitstreffens, Bochum 10.-12. September 2002 |series=Slavistishe Beiträge |volume = 434 |publisher=Otto Sagner |page=141 |language=de |chapter = Pro und kontra: "Serbokroatisch" heute |trans-chapter = Pro and con: "Serbo-Croatian" nowadays |chapter-url = http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/430499.PRO_UND_KONTRA_SERBOKROATISCH.PDF |location=Munich |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-87690-885-4 |oclc=56198470 |ssrn=3434516 |id={{CROSBI|430499}} |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120601174051/http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/430499.PRO_UND_KONTRA_SERBOKROATISCH.PDF |url-status=live |archive-date=1 June 2012 |url = http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/430499.PRO_UND_KONTRA_SERBOKROATISCH.PDF }} [http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC05094207 (ÖNB)].</ref> The dissolution of Yugoslavia has made Serbo-Croatian even more of a typical pluricentric language, since the variants of other pluricentric languages are also spoken in different states.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kordić |first=Snježana |author-link=Snježana Kordić |editor1-last=Golubović |editor1-first=Biljana |editor2-last=Raecke |editor2-first=Jochen |title = Bosnisch – Kroatisch – Serbisch als Fremdsprachen an den Universitäten der Welt |publisher=Otto Sagner |page=95 |language=de |chapter=Nationale Varietäten der serbokroatischen Sprache |trans-chapter=National Varieties of Serbo-Croatian |chapter-url = http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426566.NATIONALE_VARIETATEN_DER.PDF |series=Die Welt der Slaven, Sammelbände – Sborniki; vol. 31 |location=Munich |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-86688-032-0 |oclc=244788988 |ssrn=3434432 |id={{CROSBI|426566}} |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110919045407/http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426566.NATIONALE_VARIETATEN_DER.PDF|url-status=live |archive-date=19 September 2011|url=http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/426566.NATIONALE_VARIETATEN_DER.PDF}} [http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC07155292 (ÖNB)].</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Kordić, Snježana |author-link=Snježana Kordić |title=Plurizentrische Sprachen, Ausbausprachen, Abstandsprachen und die Serbokroatistik |trans-title=Pluricentric languages, Ausbau languages, Abstand languages and Serbo-Croatian studies |url = http://www.zeitschrift-fuer-balkanologie.de/index.php/zfb/article/view/203/203 |language=de |journal=Zeitschrift für Balkanologie |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=213–214 |year=2009 |issn=0044-2356 |oclc=680567046 |ssrn=3439240 |id={{CROSBI|436361}}. {{ZDB|201058-6}} |archive-date=29 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529002037/http://bib.irb.hr/datoteka/436361.AUSBAU-ABSTAND-PLURIZENTRISCH.PDF |access-date=21 January 2019 }}</ref>

As in other pluricentric languages, all Serbo-Croatian standard varieties are based on the same dialect (the [[Eastern Herzegovinian dialect|Eastern Herzegovinian subdialect]] of the [[Shtokavian]] dialect) and consequently, according to the sociolinguistic definitions, constitute a single pluricentric language (and not, for example, several [[Ausbau languages]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Mader Skender|first=Mia|title=Die kroatische Standardsprache auf dem Weg zur Ausbausprache|language=German|trans-title=The Croatian standard language on the way to ausbau language|chapter=Schlussbemerkung|trans-chapter=Summary|url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/215815/|format=PDF|publisher=University of Zurich, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Slavonic Studies|series=UZH Dissertations|pages=196–197|location=Zurich|year=2022|doi=10.5167/uzh-215815 |access-date=8 June 2022|type=Dissertation |quote=Obwohl das Kroatische sich in den letzten Jahren in einigen Gebieten, vor allem jedoch auf lexikalischer Ebene, verändert hat, sind diese Änderungen noch nicht bedeutend genug, dass der Terminus Ausbausprache gerechtfertigt wäre. Ausserdem können sich Serben, Kroaten, Bosnier und Montenegriner immer noch auf ihren jeweiligen Nationalsprachen unterhalten und problemlos verständigen. Nur schon diese Tatsache zeigt, dass es sich immer noch um eine polyzentrische Sprache mit verschiedenen Varietäten handelt.}}</ref>).<ref>{{cite book |last=Zanelli|first=Aldo|year=2018|title=Eine Analyse der Metaphern in der kroatischen Linguistikfachzeitschrift Jezik von 1991 bis 1997|trans-title=Analysis of Metaphors in Croatian Linguistic Journal ''Language'' from 1991 to 1997|language=de |series=Studien zur Slavistik; 41|location=Hamburg|publisher=Kovač|pages=21|isbn=978-3-8300-9773-0|oclc=1023608613}} [http://katalog.nsk.hr/F/?func=direct&doc_number=001013945 (NSK)]. [https://koha.ffzg.hr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=385977 (FFZG)]</ref> According to linguist John Bailyn, "An examination of all the major 'levels' of language shows that BCS is clearly a single language with a single grammatical system."<ref name="Bailyn" />

The use of ''Serbo-Croatian'' as a linguistic label has been the subject of long-standing controversy. Linguist [[Wayles Browne]] calls it a "term of convenience" and notes the difference of opinion as to whether it comprises a single language or a cluster of languages.<ref name="britannica.com"/> Ronelle Alexander refers to the national standards as three separate languages, but also notes that the reasons for this are complex and generally non-linguistic. She calls BCS (her term for Serbo-Croatian) a single language for communicative linguistic purposes, but three separate languages for symbolic non-linguistic purposes.{{sfn|Alexander|2006|p=424–426}}{{sfn|Alexander|2013|p=341}}

While it operated, the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] translated court proceedings and documents into what it referred to as "Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian", usually abbreviated as BCS. Translators were employed from all regions of the former Yugoslavia and all national and regional variations were accepted, regardless of the nationality of the person on trial (sometimes against a defendant's objections), on the grounds of mutual intelligibility.<ref name="Prosecutor">Decision of 23 June 1997, [https://www.icty.org/x/cases/mucic/tord/en/70623MS2.htm ''Prosecutor v. Delalic and Delic'']</ref>