Understanding spelling conflicts. A case study of new standard languages in the former Yugoslavia in the European context

Project Information

SPELLFLICT

Grant agreement ID: 892979

DOI 10.3030/892979

Closed project

Start date 1 December 2020

End date 28 February 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost € 224 933,76

EU contribution € 224 933,76

Coordinated by

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
United Kingdom

Project description

Analysis of the new standard language in the former Yugoslavia helps avoid conflicts

Since the beginning of mass education, standard languages have gone through spelling reforms and changes, which have sometimes resulted in some type of conflict. South Slavs have a long history of conflicts related to writing, evident to this today. A better understanding of the relationship between spelling and identity can help mitigate discrimination and dissension. The EU-funded SPELLFLICT project will produce a descriptive model of orthographic controversies of four newly standardised South Slavic languages since the 1990s, taking into account other European languages with a recent history of spelling reforms/changes.

Objective

This project will produce a descriptive model of orthographic controversies of four newly standardized South Slavonic languages since the 1990s, which will take into account other European languages with recent history of spelling reforms/changes. It is the first interdisciplinary and multiple comparative study, integrating top-down and bottom-up analysis of language standardization. It will provide a model for future studies and so launch me as a world-leader in sociolinguistics and language policy & planning of spelling codification.

Since the beginning of mass education, standard languages have been undergoing spelling reforms/changes producing conflicts to a greater or lesser extent. The most recent were in Czech, Dutch, French, German and Portuguese in the 1990s. The conflicts related to writing among South Slavs have a long history that continues even today, causing discrimination and violence. In the last decade, 3 spelling reforms occurred (Montenegrin 2009, Croatian 2013, Bosnian 2018), creating (inter)national spelling conflicts, which gives an excellent comparative frame and timely opportunity for this study.

My experience as a practicing Croatian orthographer has given me first-hand insights in the complexity of language codification. To understand better the relation between spelling and identity and to mitigate future conflicts, this study takes a comprehensive comparative approach that combines analysis of: A. speakers’ attitudes, B. media coverage (a discourse, argument and metaphor analysis of the relevant articles), C. the methodology and process of orthographic codification and D. socio-political context (stakeholders, legislation and procedures in a context).

Fields of science

• social sciences › sociology › social issues › social inequalities

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Topic(s)

• MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

• Net EU contribution: € 224 933,76
• Address: University park ; NG7 2RD Nottingham ; United Kingdom
• Region: East Midlands (England) › Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire › Nottingham
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Other funding: € 0,00