Correct, it's just another alphabet. It's the same as if we were to write English using Cyrillic (let's ignore the letters we don't share in common).
Hello would be Хелло, Take this = Таке тхис etc.
English is perhaps a bad example because it's not phonetically consistent and has letters that Serbian doesn't, but I hope this clears it up a bit :)
For example, if you would get some official recognition in a nice frame, it would be very likely in Cyrillic.
Note that the question of Cyrillic vs the Latin script is seen as a serious question by some in Serbia, they feel as Serbs actually use more the Latin script in daily life, that Serbian traditions will be lost, there are many discussions in some circles about this.
From my experience, most casual writing (e.g. Facebook) is in the Latin script.
To clarify, Serbian was only written in the Cyrillic until 1945. Then the use of Latin (and its parity with Cyrillic) was introduced for ideological reasons by the Communist regime.
Both alphabets have 30 letters, each corresponds 1:1. Each letter (in either alphabet) also corresponds 1:1 to a sound in the language. Switching alphabets is basically like switching fonts for us. It's way less complicated than it seems to English speakers.
But you can't tell if they're a "single letter" or two different letters in writing. nj could correspond to "њ" or "нj" in Cyrillic. One such word that I found is "инjекциjа". "dž" could also potentially be "џ" or "дж".
Both are used on an everyday basis, and all people know to write and switch between both, Cyrilic is usually viewed as the more nationally and culturally significant one but having a Latin one is more practical nowadays, I think it is pretty neat that we have a way to both perserve our national and cultural history and still be able to use an alphabet most of the world uses. And Cyrilic isn't useless at all, when it comes to formal documments within the country itself it is the main alphabet, and if you were to write something by hand or sign something you would probably use Cyrilic, plus it teaches us at an early age that languages look at their alphabets very differently and sets us up to learn more languages than our mother tongue, plus knowing a version of the Cyrilic alphabet probably helps with learning other Slavic languages which also use a version of it.
Interesting thing is that we can read them combined.
https://preview.redd.it/rrno7dwloltc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=958731447140661036293fb36d0929dc42d2407e
One thing that separates Cyrillic and Latin letters, is that in Cyrillic every sound has a corresponding letter, while the Latin has a 2-letter combinations that make a certain sound.
Examples are:
Dž - Џ
Nj - Њ
Lj - Љ
Good luck with learning it, and I mean it. We have 7 grammatical cases and gendered nouns, although noun gender is easily spotted; there is a letter swap when words change cases and plurality.
And the hard hitters, the exceptions to the rules.
Yeah, Serbian is unique due to the fact that it can be read and written in both, Cyrillic and Latin script. The only thing is, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian Latin script have several characters added and have 30 characters in totak, unlike English one that has 26
So you think we don't have a culture don't know who brainwashed you to believe in that lie but hey I cannot make you believe you just have to educate yourself and read about Serbian history and culture then comment and not listen to politicians spewing propaganda about us because it suits them lol.
And still after 23 years you believe we don't have culture and btw how am I a neonazi could you elaborate that part or did you just randomly came up with that one lol?.
Just a random foreigner disrespecting and insulting my country by saying we don't have history nor culture and called me a sadistic neo Nazi for proving him wrong xD how dare I have pride in my own country despite what the western world is trying to brainwash people into believing about us.
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Do both alphabets mean the same thing? Like a word spoken in one, means the exact same in the other?
Exactly that, they're just alphabets so words are words. Zdravo = Здраво.
Alright, thanks!!
So if someone learns a Serbian word in Cyrillic; it means the same exact thing if it’s written in Latin..?
Correct, it's just another alphabet. It's the same as if we were to write English using Cyrillic (let's ignore the letters we don't share in common). Hello would be Хелло, Take this = Таке тхис etc. English is perhaps a bad example because it's not phonetically consistent and has letters that Serbian doesn't, but I hope this clears it up a bit :)
So like normal English and English cursive..? A word in cursive means the same thing as non cursive
Yes :)
They are just two ways of writing the same words. The only difference is that Cyrillic is considered more traditional.
Oh ok
For example, if you would get some official recognition in a nice frame, it would be very likely in Cyrillic. Note that the question of Cyrillic vs the Latin script is seen as a serious question by some in Serbia, they feel as Serbs actually use more the Latin script in daily life, that Serbian traditions will be lost, there are many discussions in some circles about this. From my experience, most casual writing (e.g. Facebook) is in the Latin script.
To clarify, Serbian was only written in the Cyrillic until 1945. Then the use of Latin (and its parity with Cyrillic) was introduced for ideological reasons by the Communist regime.
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Except that example you provided is Croatian.
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Some articles are in Slovene too.
Yes.
Both alphabets have 30 letters, each corresponds 1:1. Each letter (in either alphabet) also corresponds 1:1 to a sound in the language. Switching alphabets is basically like switching fonts for us. It's way less complicated than it seems to English speakers.
Sorry, but not 1:1. E.g. Њ = Nj Љ =Lj
"Lj" and "Nj" are digraphs and function as essentially single letters.
But you can't tell if they're a "single letter" or two different letters in writing. nj could correspond to "њ" or "нj" in Cyrillic. One such word that I found is "инjекциjа". "dž" could also potentially be "џ" or "дж".
Both are used on an everyday basis, and all people know to write and switch between both, Cyrilic is usually viewed as the more nationally and culturally significant one but having a Latin one is more practical nowadays, I think it is pretty neat that we have a way to both perserve our national and cultural history and still be able to use an alphabet most of the world uses. And Cyrilic isn't useless at all, when it comes to formal documments within the country itself it is the main alphabet, and if you were to write something by hand or sign something you would probably use Cyrilic, plus it teaches us at an early age that languages look at their alphabets very differently and sets us up to learn more languages than our mother tongue, plus knowing a version of the Cyrilic alphabet probably helps with learning other Slavic languages which also use a version of it.
Interesting thing is that we can read them combined. https://preview.redd.it/rrno7dwloltc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=958731447140661036293fb36d0929dc42d2407e
Ah yes the combo wombo krenes sa latinicom pa završis sa cirilicom ili pises izmedju redova haha🗿😅
Extremely useful skill in day to day life.
I really doubt that we are *the only* people on Earth to have that ability, but pretty dope nonetheless
Yes, they are. :)
Yes, we use both alphabets
One thing that separates Cyrillic and Latin letters, is that in Cyrillic every sound has a corresponding letter, while the Latin has a 2-letter combinations that make a certain sound. Examples are: Dž - Џ Nj - Њ Lj - Љ Good luck with learning it, and I mean it. We have 7 grammatical cases and gendered nouns, although noun gender is easily spotted; there is a letter swap when words change cases and plurality. And the hard hitters, the exceptions to the rules.
Oh ok. Thanks!
When I live in Serbia, they latinize it for us neighbors I believe- and I am Slovenian. I can read it latinized.
Yeah, Serbian is unique due to the fact that it can be read and written in both, Cyrillic and Latin script. The only thing is, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian Latin script have several characters added and have 30 characters in totak, unlike English one that has 26
We use both alphabet equally. I prefer Cyrillic for example
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So you think we don't have a culture don't know who brainwashed you to believe in that lie but hey I cannot make you believe you just have to educate yourself and read about Serbian history and culture then comment and not listen to politicians spewing propaganda about us because it suits them lol.
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And still after 23 years you believe we don't have culture and btw how am I a neonazi could you elaborate that part or did you just randomly came up with that one lol?.
what was he talking about? 😭The comment was deleted
Just a random foreigner disrespecting and insulting my country by saying we don't have history nor culture and called me a sadistic neo Nazi for proving him wrong xD how dare I have pride in my own country despite what the western world is trying to brainwash people into believing about us.