Serbian language

The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the ?tokavian dialect (former standard was known as Serbo-Croatian language). Serbian is used primarily in Serbia and Montenegro, Republika Srpska and by Serbs everywhere.

Phonology

Vowels

The Serbian vowel system is simple, with only five vowels. All vowels are monophthongs. The oral vowels are as follows:

Related Topics:
Vowel - Monophthong

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Consonants

The consonant system is more complicated, and its characteristic features are series of affricate and palatal consonants. As in English, voicedness is phonemic, but aspiration is not.

Related Topics:
Consonant - Affricate - Palatal - Phonemic - Aspiration

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In consonant clusters all consonants are either voiced or voiceless. All the consonants are voiced (if the last consonant is normally voiced) or voiceless (if the last consonant is normally voiceless). This rule does not apply to approximants ? a consonant cluster may contain voiced approximants and voiceless consonants; as well as to foreign words (Washington would be transcribed as Va?inGton/?????????), personal names and when consonants are not inside of one syllable.

Related Topics:
Consonant cluster - Approximant

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R can be syllabic, playing the role of a vowel in certain words (occasionally, it can even have a long accent). For example, the tongue-twister na vrh brda vrba mrda involves four words with syllabic r. A similar feature exists in Czech, Slovak and Macedonian. Very rare, l can be syllabic (in the name for the river "Vltava", 'l' is syllabic) as well as lj, m, n and nj in jargon.

Related Topics:
Tongue-twister - Czech - Slovak - Macedonian - Jargon

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