Written by: Milica Bokšan
Do you know some of the longest Serbian words?
Or, that the the longest Serbian word has as many as 29 letters?
Pronouncing so many letters is difficult even for native speakers.
For foreigners, it’s especially challenging when they try to pronounce it.
But why not try it?
You will probably have fun!
However, before we get to the longest Serbian word, let’s find out some characteristics and interesting facts about the Serbian language!
7 Characteristics of The Serbian Language
The Serbian language has a rich history and has undergone many changes since its inception.
These are just some of the most significant characteristics of the Serbian language:
- The Serbian language belongs to the Slavic group of languages.
- It is written in two alphabets – ćirilica (= Cyrillic) and latinica (= Latin). Both are used equally.
- Vuk Stefanović Karadžić simplified the Cyrillic alphabet. After his reform, one letter stood for one sound. He used the rule: Piši kao što govoriš, čitaj kako je napisano. (= Write as you speak, read as it is written.)
- Serbian grammar is very complex but still interesting. For example, the Serbian language has 7 cases and 4 accents.
- There are currently around 12 million speakers of the Serbian language in the world.
- Before Yugoslavia fell apart, the Serbian and Croatian languages were called by one name – srpskohrvatski jezik (= Serbo-Croatian language).
- If you visit Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and even Macedonia, and try to communicate with the inhabitants by speaking Serbian, almost everyone will understand what you want to say.
Fun Facts About The Serbian Language
- No Serbian words that start with ‘F’
Actually, there are many of them, such as fudbal (= football), fenjer (= lantern), or fen (= hairdryer).
But all these words are of foreign origin and have become accepted in Serbian.
- Serbianisms used in the world
The most famous word that came from Serbian and is used everywhere is vampir (= vampire)!
A vampire is a terrifying mythical creature that feeds on blood.
The second widely accepted word is the name for a vegetable ﹘ paprika.
- Serbian words in the English dictionary
English dictionaries began to register the Serbian words slava and slatko in the 20th century.
Even before them, in the 19th century, the words vila (= fairy) and kolo were included.
- Serbian swear words
The Serbian language has a lot of swear words.
Many Serbs use them as a part of everyday vocabulary.
But the most interesting thing is that Serbs generally won’t be offended if you use some of them.
- ,,Govori srpski da te ceo svet razume”
This means “Speak Serbian so that the whole world understands you”.
There is no Serb who is not familiar with this phrase.
This is mostly used as a joke, but there is some truth to this saying since there is a huge Serbian diaspora all over the world.
The Longest Serbian Words
Before we finally get to the longest Serbian word, you can try to pronounce some of the other long Serbian words as well.
For starters, it is enough to write them down on paper a couple of times for exercise.
Here are some of them:
- otorinolaringologija
Perhaps it is quite easy to guess, this word means “otorhinolaryngology.”
It consists of 20 letters.
Otorhinolaryngology is a branch of medicine that deals with ear, throat, and nose problems.
- prestolonaslednikovica
This word consists of 22 letters.
It denotes the woman who is married to the heir to the throne.
- osamnaestogodišnjakinja
This is a word of 23 letters and it means a girl who is eighteen years old.
By the way, the most popular quiz in Serbia for decades has been Slagalica.
It consists of several simple, interesting games.
One of the games requires contestants to compose the longest possible word from the 12 letters provided by the computer.
Although the words that can be made in this game are far shorter than those we have mentioned, the game is still challenging.
Who knows, when you master Serbian, you might even decide to sign up for this quiz!
The Longest Serbian Word
And finally, let’s find out what is the longest Serbian word!
The word the fuss is about is antisamoupravnosocijalistički (= anti-self-governing-socialist).
Yes, it really exists and consists of 29 letters!
It denotes an opponent of the self-governing socialist regime.
The easiest way to pronounce it is to break it down into the following parts:
anti-samo-upravno-socijalistički
You’ve probably seen the popular movie Mary Poppins.
Have you ever tried to say the famous word from the movie?
Of course, we’re talking about the word ﹘ Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
If you have ever successfully pronounced it, then it will not be difficult for you to pronounce even the longest Serbian word.☺
Let’s Sum Up!
Indeed, Serbian words are not quite the easiest ones to pronounce.
There are some letters such as đ, č, ć, dž, ž, and š that sound like you need to break your tongue to pronounce them. By the way, here are some useful pronunciation tips!
But, when you have the right tutors, learning the Serbian language from scratch becomes fun and easy.
Start with your Serbian online lessons and see for yourself!
