The Vlachs of Eastern Serbia: Language and Society (PDF)

Published as a volume within the VLACH (Vanishing Languages and Cultural Heritage) series, this book represents the first in-depth sociolinguistic analysis of the Vlach community living in Eastern Serbia and of the language spoken by this community, Vlach Romanian. By integrating advances in the fields of language ideology, the online use of minority languages, linguistic landscape research, and language policy and planning, the book offers the reader a multi-faceted image of the state, status, and use of the language spoken by the Vlachs of Eastern Serbia, as well as of the ideologies accompanying it. Based on extensive fieldwork, detailed coverage of the texts written about and by the community, and relevant analysis of social media sites, this book generates insights on how the language shapes identity, influences ideology, sparks conflict, and impacts the linguistic landscape. This book is being released at a turning point in the history of the community: the revitalization measures and ongoing standardization process is dividing the ideologically divided Vlach society even more. In the coming years, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be able to challenge the stereotypes regarding the language and its speakers that still persist and whether these changes will bring about the greater use and visibility of Vlach Romanian. Due to the multiple aspects covered, the book will be of interest to sociolinguists and ethnologists working on Romance varieties and minorities in Serbia and more generally in the Balkans, but also to the members of the Vlach community.

is Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Balkan Studies of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade