Filologija, No. 84, 2025.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.21857/94kl4ceg7m
Promoting the Croatian language worldwide
Vlatka Štimac Ljubas
Abstract
According to the Croatian Language Act, “the promotion and improvement of Croatian language learning among foreign citizens and descendants of Croatian emigrants in Croatia and abroad” should be one of the priority goals of the National Plan for Croatian Language Policy. Such promotion is carried out mostly by Croatian language schools for Croatian diaspora, which preserve and foster Croatian national identity, and by Croatian language courses at foreign universities, for which the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth is administratively responsible. This paper deals mainly with college and university courses of Croatian language abroad: it provides also a short definition of Croatian language, its name and position, structure of student population, and teaching methods, as observed during the Author’s stay at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 2004–2005. Such insights are put in correlation with efforts to establish new courses and with the current position of Croatian language at foreign universities, at a time when interest in Slavic studies is in decline, and when some philology university departments get closed. How to assist Croatian language teachers; how they have to act in the country they work in; and how to improve their interaction and relationship with their homeland, the country they represent. These issues can be addressed not only by the National Plan for Croatian Language Policy, but also by the establishment of an institution responsible for promotion of Croatian language at foreign universities: such an institution would coordinate the work of Croatian language teachers, organize workshops and counseling in order to improve their teaching skills, plan cultural and promotional activities, etc.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
339780
URI
Publication date:
24.11.2025.
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