The Position and Status of Languages in Montenegro with a Special Focus on the Albanian Language
The Position and Status of Languages in Montenegro with a Special Focus on the Albanian Language

Summary/Abstract: This article elaborates on the European experience with monolingualism and multilin-gualism, namely the situation of using bilingualism in former Yugoslavia and Montenegro. The focus is specifically on the position and status of the Albanian language compared to the Montenegrin language.The international experience with minority languages, especially in the context of existing documents and conventions in Europe and those in the former Yugoslavia and currently in Montenegro, proves that Albanian in Montenegro is indeed a regional and not a local language, which is the real context of this situation. The Albanian language in Montenegro should have this position as a result of its reference in the last Constitution of Montenegro. However, in order to attain this status in practice, numerous problems arise as a result of discrepancies between the Constitution and the relevant laws, namely the lack of implementation thereof.As a result, generally in Montenegro, the Albanian language is used fragmentarily in central state institutions, functioning as a code of solidarity, while the Montenegrin language serves as the power code. This relationship between these two languages in terms of their institutional use is also present in the parts of Montenegro in which Albani-ans are the majority.

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