Is there a difference between Bosnian and Herzegovinian accents?
Posted by maybthiistiime@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 39 comments
Self explanatory. I had a friend from Herzegovina who would get really mad when I called him Bosnian because I honestly didn’t realize it was two regions literally called Bosnia and Herzegovina. Is there a difference between Bosnian and Herzegovinian accents?
I’m not from the Balkans. Just have a huge interest in it.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
There is of course different accents in northern/southern/eastern/western Bosnia etc.
There is no separate Hercegovina identity, it’s part of the broader Bosnian identity. I’m from Hercegovina and I would remove the Hercegovina part from the official name just cuz it’s so long and hard for outsiders to pronounce.
Sad_Philosopher_3163@reddit
Says who? I know plenty of people who would identify nationally as Herzegovinians before they would ever identify as Bosnian. Are you from Mostar?
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
A national identity doesn’t exist since Hercegovina isn’t a country, a regional identity exists. And no, I’m from eastern Hercegovina
DartVejder@reddit
In Republika Srpska, people speak with Eastern-Herzegovinan dialect, which is standard of Serbo-Croatian languages, and the most clear, accent-neutral dialect. It's also spoken in most of mainland Montenegro (city of Niksic, and futher north), south western region of Serbia (Uzice, Cacak, Zlatibor) and parts of Croatia (Osijek, Slavonski Brod).
Someone speaking naturally in this dialect could either be a Serb, Croat or Bosniak, and it's impossible to accurately determine just based on the accent.
In Federation of BiH, Bosniaks tend to speak in Eastern-Bosnian dialect which is the most commonly associated as "Bosnian" accent, whereas Croats tend to speak in Ikavian which leans towards Dalmatian accent.
PersimmonTall8157@reddit
This is absolutely not how it is lmao
Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit
There’s no “Herzegovinian accent”, but there is the ikavian dialect spoken by Bosnian Croats and Krajina Bosniaks. It does differ from other dialects in the country but the differences are minor.
saraspaludoa@reddit
Lol, so not true. There is definitely a Herzegovinian accent and it's not ikavica. If you're from Bosnia you can tell a Herzegovnian in 2 seconds when they start speaking.
Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit
Most of the traditionally ikavian speaking regions sound like that. People from Makarska sound exactly the same to Herzegovinian Croats.
saraspaludoa@reddit
But not Herzegovinian Bosniaks? 😂
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
There is definitely a Herzegovian accent what are you talking about
HeyVeddy@reddit
Really, you don't think there's a difference in Hercegovina dialect? Međugorje, Čapljina, Čitluk, etc they're all long extending their words differently than the rest of the county
Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit
I clearly stated that the ikavian dialect does differ from the other dialects in the country, the differences are just minor.
I said there is no single “Herzegovina accent” because Herzegovina also includes the eastern herzegovinian dialect spoken by Serbs of the region.
PasicT@reddit
Yes there is a difference. With that being said, your friend likely got mad because he doesn't like to be reminded that he comes from Bosnia and Herzegovina and not just simply Herzegovina as a separate Croatian territory which he probably thinks should belong to Croatia.
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
Reminds me of some Bosniaks who identify with Turkey and think “Bosnia” is a Muslim country
PasicT@reddit
That's just as stupid.
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
I agree. So who should stop being stupid first? We both know it can’t happen at the same time, someone will eventually have to go first.
PasicT@reddit
Well for one the hatred from Serbs of Croats of anything Bosnian and of Bosniaks overall needs to stop.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
You mean the same way Bosniaks in Serbia don't like when someone say they are Serbians?
PasicT@reddit
Yes and I find it equally stupid.
maybthiistiime@reddit (OP)
He was always very patriotic, lol. Told me all about Herzegovinian history and helped me with a story I write that takes place in Yugoslavia.
PasicT@reddit
What Herzegovinian history?
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
This one
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Herzegovina?wprov=sfla1
titaincognita@reddit
Its not patriotism, its nationalism lol
HansDerVogel@reddit
In terms od accents, yes. And yes we think theirs is funny and they think ours is funny.
maybthiistiime@reddit (OP)
lol, works just like in the states too.
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
Yes. There’s a difference. If you wouldn’t call Bosnia Herzegovina then don’t call Herzegovina Bosnia. Thats in terms of nomenclature and identity.
In terms of accents - also yes. Herzegovian accents are very recognizable, though accents aren’t the first thing people consider when factoring in differences.
alpidzonka@reddit
Friends from Bosnia can usually pinpoint if someone's from Krajina, central Bosnia, Semberija, Herzegovina etc. It all sounds just vaguely Bosnian to my Srbijanac ears ngl.
Illustrious-One5348@reddit
No, bolan...
No-Efficiency250@reddit
Like most countries, there are regional accents.
Big-Waltz5204@reddit
Yes there are lot of different accents in Balkan languages and it's kinda fascinating how such small linguistic groups can have such a variety in the way their language is spoken. My family is from northwest part of Bosnia (Krajina) and the way we speak is noticably different from cental Bosnia. It's quite surprising actually. Anytime I would go visit some family member in Zenica or Sarajevo, people sound kinda ridiculous to me. Herzegovina, I'm not really familiar with their lingo but I would imagine they sound bit like Croatian specially if the person is Bosnian Croat.
Fear_mor@reddit
Yeah I notice that as someone living in Slavonia, you guys’ accent is a lot closer to people from Banija and Kordun than it is to people from Sarajevo. Same goes for stuff like Orašje etc. where it’s actually the dialect from the other side of the river being spoken.
silentmarrow@reddit
is your friend catholic?
Drama-Gloomy@reddit
I consider myself a proud Hercegovac / Herzegovinian but it’s just a regional distinction and not a national one. Like Americans identifying with their state domestically but as “American” internationally.
lucyland@reddit
I concur. My relatives from Mostar have a much different accent than my husband who’s from Sarajevo.
maybthiistiime@reddit (OP)
Ohhh I see. Yeah, this makes sense. Thanks! 🫶
LittleBigBaws@reddit
Isn't it because Herzegovina is the main croat area.
Maybe he saw himself as Croatian.
Just a theory.
FloppyDiskDrives@reddit
This is an oversimplification. While it is true that Western Herzegovina has a very strong, predominantly Croat population (who strongly identify with the Croatian nation), Eastern Herzegovina has a predominantly Serb population. Additionally, there are Bosniaks living throughout the region.
Regardless of whether a person from Herzegovina is ethnically Croat, Serb, or Bosniak, they will generally all identify proudly as Hercegovci in a regional sense. The frustration stems primarily from geography and historical boundaries being ignored, rather than purely ethnic lines.
Maximus_Dominus@reddit
Agree with most everything except the last part. There is today definitely a push by a lot of Croats from Herzegovina for this idea that Herzegovina has always been its own separate entity, etc. Which of course is nonsense.
ilijadwa@reddit
I grew up abroad in a community of people from Herzegovina and the Dalmatian hinterland. Personally the accent is very noticeable to me - for example I find it much harder to understand a Serb from Vojvodina, but then when I step into Hercegovina or Dalmatia it’s like the fog has cleared and suddenly I understand everything so much better. Personally I think the accent has an Italian vibe to it, I think people speak slower and they have more elongated vowels. Whereas I find other accents/dialects in the north to sound sharper and more clipped. But that’s just me.