Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Slawistik und Hungarologie

The South Slavic linguistic area encompasses a complex dialectal system traditionally divided into three primary dialects: Štokavian, Čakavian and Kajkavian, with the addition of the Torlakian dialect, often described as transitional or marginal within this classification. These dialects are not merely linguistic categories; they are cultural and identity layers that have shaped communication, literature, and everyday speech among millions of speakers across the Balkan Peninsula for centuries.

Their distribution does not follow state borders - quite the opposite. These dialects reflect historical migrations, cultural flows, political shifts, and even diasporic dynamics. The aim of this lecture is to offer a comprehensive and structured overview of each dialect, focusing on their geographical distribution, demographic data, at least ten linguistic features, subdialects and textual examples that reflect distinct dialectal traits.