What makes a language... a language? - Martin Hilpert

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The distinct forms of speech heard

Specifični oblici govora

around Bremen, Germany and Interlaken, Switzerland

iz okoline Bremena u Nemačkoj i Interlakena u Švajcarskoj

are considered regional dialects of the German language.

smatraju se regionalnim dijalektima nemačkog jezika.

And yet, when someone from Bremen is visiting the Swiss Alps,

Međutim, kada neko iz Bremena poseti Švajcarske Alpe,

the conversations they hear between locals will likely be incomprehensible to them.

razgovore koje čuje među lokalcima verovatno će teško razumeti.

Similarly, outside of China,

Isto tako, izvan Kine

Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects.

mandarinski i kantonski se često smatraju kineskim dijalektima.

But they’re even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian.

Međutim, oni se međusobno razlikuju više nego španski i italijanski.

On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish,

Sa druge strane, govornici danskog, norveškog i švedskog,

which are recognized as three distinct languages,

što su zvanično tri različita jezika,

can usually communicate in their native tongues with little difficulty.

mogu lako da se sporazumeju govoreći svako na svom maternjem jeziku.

And Turkish language soap operas, broadcast without dubbing or subtitles,

Zatim, turske telenovele, emitovane bez titlova ili sinhronizacije

are some of the most popular shows in Azeri-speaking Azerbaijan.

spadaju u najpopularniji program u Azerbejdžanu, gde se govori azerski.

So, when is a form of speech considered a dialect versus a language?

Dakle, kada se jedan oblik govora smatra dijalektom, a kada jezikom?

It seems reasonable that the degree of mutual intelligibility would determine

Deluje logično da će stepen međusobonog razumevanja da odredi

whether two ways of speaking are classified as separate languages

da li će dva načina govora biti klasifikovani kao zasebni jezici

or as dialects of the same language.

ili dijalekti istog jezika.

But as we've seen, there are many occasions where this is not the case.

Ali, kao što smo videli, mnogo je primera gde to nije slučaj.

Perhaps surprisingly, the distinction between a language and a dialect

Verovatno iznenađuje činjenica da razlika između jezika i dijalekta

usually has nothing to do with pronunciation, vocabulary,

uglavnom nema nikakve veze sa izgovorom, vokabularom,

or any other linguistic features.

ili bilo kojom drugom jezičkom odlikom.

However, it’s not coincidental, either.

Ali, ta razlika nije slučajna.

It’s a matter of politics.

U pitanju je politika.

The basis for what’s officially deemed a language

Osnova za ono što se zvanično smatra jezikom

was shaped by the emergence of a European nation states beginning around the 1500s.

formirana je oko 1500. godine sa nastankom evropskih gradova država.

In order to establish and maintain centralized governments,

Kako bi se uspostavile i održale centralna vlast,

clear territorial boundaries, and state-sponsored education systems,

jasne teritorijalne granice i državni obrazovni sistem

many nation states promoted a standardized language.

mnoge nacionalne države promovisale su standardni jezik.

Which form of speech was chosen to be the standard language

Koji oblik govora je izabran za standardni

was usually based on what people spoke in the capital.

uglavnom je zavisilo od toga kako ljudi govore u glavnom gradu.

And while other forms of speech persisted, they were often treated as inferior.

Premda su se održali i drugi načini govora često su smatrani niže vrednosti.

This tradition extended across the globe with European colonization

Ova tradicija se proširila svetom sa evropskom kolonizacijom

and into modern times.

i traje sve do danas.

Italy, for example, has at least 15 of what might be called regional dialects.

Italija, na primer, ima bar 15 takozvanih regionalnih dijalekata.

One of them, the Florentine dialect,

Jedan od njih, firentinski dijalekat,

became known as Standard Italian when the country politically unified in 1861.

postao je standardni italijanski kada se zemlja 1861. politički ujedinila.

It was selected because legendary authors like Dante and Machiavelli

Izabran je zato što su ga legendarni pisci poput Dantea i Makijavelija

used it in their original works,

koristili u svojim originalnim delima.

And it came to represent an image of Italian national identity

Tako je postao simbolom italijanskog nacionalnog identiteta

that some found particularly desirable.

što su neki smatrali naročito poželjnim.

Later on, in his attempt to establish a unified, fascist state,

Kasnije, pokušavajući da stvori sjedinjenu, fašističku državu,

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini saw language standardization

italijanski diktator Benito Musolini je jezičku standardizaciju

as an important objective.

smatrao važnim ciljem.

His government promoted standard Italian while prohibiting other forms of speech

Njegova vlada je promovisala standardni italijanski, a druge oblike

from the public sphere,

branila u javnoj upotrebi,

framing them as backward and unsophisticated.

nazivajući ih nazadnim i prostim.

In everything from job applications to court testimonies,

Od prijava za posao do svedočenja na sudu u svim dokumentima

standard languages act as gatekeepers around the world.

standardni jezici svuda u svetu predstavljaju portire.

For instance, one 1999 study showed that landlords responded to apartment inquiries

Na primer, jedna studija iz 1999. godine pokazala je da stanodavci češće odgovaraju

based on what form of speech their prospective tenants used.

na upite za stan prema tome kakav govor koriste njihovi potencijalni stanari.

When callers spoke African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE,

Kada zainteresovani govore afroamerički engleski vernakular, odnosno AAVE,

landlords were more likely to reject their inquiries.

veća je verovatnoća da stanodavci odgovore negativno na njihove upite.

When they spoke so-called Standard American English,

Ako govore takozvani stndardni američki engleski,

which is often associated with whiteness,

koji se najčešće vezuje za belce,

landlords responded more positively.

stanodavci odgovaraju uglavnom pozitivno.

Both of these forms of speech are considered English dialects.

Oba načina govora smatraju se engleskim dijalektima.

In the United States, some people have cast AAVE

U Sjedinjenim Državama, neki smatraju AAVE

as an incorrect or simplified version of mainstream US English.

neispravnom ili pojednostavljenom verzijom uobičajenog američkog engleskog.

But AAVE follows consistent grammatical rules

Međutim, AAVE prati dosledna gramatička pravila

every bit as sophisticated as other forms of English.

podjednako sofistikovana kao kod drugih verzija engleskog jezika.

Linguists tend to avoid the term dialect altogether.

Lingvisti generalno izbegavaju termin dijalekat.

Instead, many opt to call different forms of speech “varieties.”

Umesto toga, mnogi biraju termin varijetet za različite forme govora.

This way, languages are seen as groups of varieties.

Na ovaj način jezici se posmatraju kao grupa varijeteta.

So the English language is made up of varieties

Tako je engleski jezik sastavljen od varijeteta

including Standard British and American English, AAVE,

kao što su standardni britanski i američki engleski, AAVE,

Nigerian English, Malaysian English, and many others.

nigerijski engleski, malezijski engleski i mnogih drugih.

Each has its own unique history and characteristic pronunciation,

Svaki od njih ima jedinstvenu istoriju i karakterističan izgovor,

vocabulary, and grammatical structures.

vokabular i gramatičku strukturu.

But the dividing line between varieties is murky.

Ali, linija koja deli varijetete je maglovita.

Human language, in all its cross-pollinating, ever-evolving glory,

Ljudski jezik, sa svojim večnim promenama i ukrštanjima,

naturally resists the impulse to sort it into neat buckets.

prirodno se opire potrebi da se uredno sortira u kutije.

Oftentimes, forms of speech exist on a kind of linguistic continuum

Često oblici govora postoje kao jezički kontinuum

where they overlap with others,

gde se preklapaju sa ostalima,

and the differences between them are gradual—

i razlike između njih su postepene,

not clear cut.

a ne jasno definisane.

And that’s the confounding beauty of the dynamic, diverse,

I to je zbunjujuća lepota dinamičnog, raznolikog

and dazzling universe of human communication.

i fascinantnog univerzuma ljudske komunikacije.