Area Programs

Why Study Serbian?

Serbian is a South Slavic language widely spoken in the Balkans. It is the official language of the states of Serbia and Montenegro, and is spoken by many Serbs living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and other states and provinces of the region, as well as by Serbian immigrants around the world.

Serbian is in use in the central area of southeastern Europe with important international land and water routes. It is a language of significant strategic importance socio-politically and commercially. Students who learn Serbian will have access to a unique treasure of historical, artistic, and literary monuments produced at this cultural crossroads of East and West.

Students in Arts and Science often become interested in Serbian because of hearing about Ivo Andrić, the famous Nobel laureate in literature who wrote in Serbian, or Nikola Tesla, the Serb who invented the alternating-current generator. Serbian is also the language of rich national history, folklore traditions and epic poetry, which inspired Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the Brothers Grimm to learn the language.