BOSANSKI JEZIK U SJEVERNOJ MAKEDONIJI, SA FOKUSOM NA NJEGOVU UPOTREBU U OBRAZOVANJU
THE BOSNIAN LANGUAGE IN NORTH MACEDONIA, WITH A FOCUS ON ITS USE IN EDUCATION

Summary/Abstract: For the development and prosperity of a state community, it is essential to research and understand the specific features and characteristics of all its citizens. Bosniaks are deeply interwoven into the territory of Macedonia and have had a positive influence on the creation and development of the Macedonian state and society. It can be freely stated that no narrative about Macedonia would be complete without the inclusion of Bosniaks. Due to the past, and even more importantly due to the future, North Macedonia has both an obligation and a need to improve the rights and status of Bosniaks and to enable the preservation and development of all elements of Bosniak identity. The preservation of numerically smaller peoples is the only way to maintain the multiethnic and multicultural character of the state. In this regard, language represents the strongest marker of identity of every individual and the people to which they belong. It is a fact that when someone is denied their language, essentially their mother tongue, the ancestors from whom that language was inherited are denied as well, that is, their national identity, and consequently their very existence. The violation of the right to use one’s language is the first step toward such denial. In the territory of North Macedonia, throughout the twentieth century, despite the formal prohibition of the terms Bosnian language and Bosniaks, these terms remained in use among all the peoples of Macedonia and were neither unfamiliar nor forgotten. This circumstance, along with the centuries-long presence of Bosniaks and the established trust and cooperation with other peoples, made it possible, despite certain difficulties, for Bosniaks in North Macedonia to become one of the constituent peoples, with high-quality legal and formal preconditions for the realization of their rights and obligations. This is also evidenced by certain historical facts, in this case concerning the Bosnian language, which will be briefly presented as an introduction to the topic. Before addressing education in the Bosnian language, it is of particular importance to analyze the state of the use of the Bosnian language within the legal framework and its implementation in the institutions of central and local government. No less important in this context is an overview of the status of the Bosnian language in the media, as well as within the Islamic Religious Community, in which the Bosniaks of Macedonia are also organized. Undoubtedly, the most significant focus is the use of the Bosnian language in education. It is expected that the analysis of the Bosnian language in education will confirm the thesis that the legal framework is generally of good quality, while also identifying shortcomings and opportunities for its further improvement. Therefore, it is important to recognize positive experiences and practices, but even more importantly, to identify negative factors that affect the full implementation and higher-quality realization of instruction in the Bosnian language and the position of Bosniaks within the educational system of the Republic of North Macedonia.

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