AROMANIAN IN SERBIA IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETAL AND INDIVIDUAL MULTILINGUALISM
AROMANIAN IN SERBIA IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETAL AND INDIVIDUAL MULTILINGUALISM

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to provide an in-depth sociolinguistic analysis of the position of Aromanian in Serbia in the broader context of multilingualism. The research corpora include 30 responses to the sociolinguistic VLingS Questionnaire 1.0, collected during fieldwork in Serbia in 2023, and four narratives in Aromanian. The respondents’ responses are divided into four generations, starting from the age of 18. Firstly, the research focuses on challenges in estimating the number of Aromanians and speakers of Aromanian in Serbia. Secondly, it analyses the results regarding societal and individual multilingualism, framing Aromanian linguistic and cultural practices in Serbia. It further examines the status of Aromanian, alongside Serbian, Macedonian, Greek, and other languages of the social environment, as well as foreign languages spoken by the respondents, their parents, and grandparents. A discussion of those findings highlights the need for a regional perspective in the research of Aromanian linguistic and cultural identity in Serbia, revealing an overlap between individual and societal multilingualism that does not hinder belonging to the Aromanian community. The research also identifies a linguistic shift in the linguistic repertoire from Aromanian (as well as Macedonian and Greek) to Serbian in the 20th and 21st centuries, alongside a broader trend of favouring globally dominant languages over languages of the immediate social environment. The article argues that Aromanians in Serbia demonstrate a high level of multilingualism due to historical, geographical, socio-political, cultural, and personal factors and warns that Aromanian has almost disappeared among younger generations, highlighting its endangered status in Serbia, and the need for revitalisation measures.

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