Italian Loanwords in Serbian and the Influence of Cultural Encounter on Language

Abstract

This paper deals with Italian loanwords that entered the standard Serbian language, and with a certain number of lexemes that belong to colloquial registers, in the first place to a variety which is defined as the language of the young, in terms of diastratic variations, as well as with Italian loanwords in the fields of art, fashion, and gastronomy. The latter are divided, with regard to chronology, to the loanwords from the period of the Republic of Venice, Tuscan loanwords, cultural Italian loanwords, and new cultural Italian loanwords. Each of the categories listed is observed with regard to an appropriate cultural-historical context, which implies presenting historical circumstances and cultural influences that contributed to their entering the Serbian language.