Примењена лингвистика у част Ранку Бугарском - Језик у

Ronelle Alexander
THE PARADOX OF THE INSTANT TRILINGUAL
UDK 81`27
Abstract. Three components of a joke, which portrays speakers of the former
Serbo-Croatian as linguistic geniuses because they could instantly acquire two additional
languages, are analyzed in the light of recent events. The first component
is the paradox: because it is not logical that separate languages can be acquired
without study, the languages must not have been separate after all. The second
component is the instantaneous shift: because it is not possible for a language to
trifurcate overnight, there must have been separate versions in existence already.
The final component is the replacement of one language not by two but by three:
because its name suggests that the language was an amalgam of Serbian and Croatian,
one would expect it to divide into two, not three parts.
Keywords: language, polycentric, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, BCS, Serbo-Croatian
1. Introduction
The title of this paper refers to a well-known joke about speakers of the former
Serbo-Croatian, who are all of a sudden seen to be linguistic geniuses due to
their ability to acquire the knowledge of two more languages almost overnight
(non-native speakers have the additional advantage of being able to add two more
entries to the ‘language proficiency’ section of their résumés, at no extra cost so to
speak). The joke is told with humor, irony, or cynicism, depending on one’s point
of view and one’s personal experience.
Yet each of the keywords of this title points to a number of very important
issues. First, if languages are defined as uniquely different self-contained communication
systems, it is indeed a paradox that people who know one language
can immediately add two more to their repertoire. It would stand to reason that
this can only come about if the three languages bear very close similarity to one
another, indeed if they share the vast majority of defining features, if there is
some common core underlying all three. Does such a common core exist, akin
somehow to the clearly felt phantom limb that remains after amputation? Given
that it certainly must, how can (and should) one speak of it? Can one continue to
call it Serbo-Croatian, despite the fact that this language has ceased to exist, both
legally and politically? Whatever one calls it, does it play a role in the current
trilingual situation, and if so what role does it play?
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