A Neverending Story – The Utilisation of Language as a Political Instrument: National and Language Policy of Austria-Hungary in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This article focuses on the content of language and national policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian administration. It is based on documents, articles in official newspapers and insights into the activities of national and confessional societies and their journals. In this context, i.e. the cultural and national policy of the new government, education and publishing are highly significant. In order to foster a unified national consciousness, the Austro-Hungarian authorities implemented a range of policies, including one standard language, the promotion of a collective sense of national identity, and the establishment of institutions to serve the unified nation. For instance, the census was conducted solely based on religious affiliation, with no consideration of ethnic affiliation. The establishment of a unified national identity was further pursued through the conceptualisation of the glottonym “Land Language” (zemaljski jezik/ Landessprache). From the outset, the name of the language indicated a significant potential for conflict. These debates, primarily conducted in the press of various profiles and in the Diet of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, are pertinent to this analysis. The early 20th century was characterised by deliberate and seemingly indifferent deliberations in parliament on language policy and an ongoing discourse surrounding the South Slavic question, which had been a subject of discussion within the Monarchy for some time, and assumed increased importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, it was a period characterised by an escalation of social unrest. In 1913, the discourse on language policy entered its concluding phase. The legislation confirming the glottonym “Serbo-Croatian” with the use of two scripts in Bosnia and Herzegovina was enacted in January 1914. This was achieved through the synchronisation of the language name with that introduced in the other parts of the Monarchy during the 19th century. A mere six months later, the First World War broke out.