Multilingualism in Sarajevo through the Lens of the Sephardim

Abstract

Summary This paper is a diachronic sociolinguistic analysis of the multilingual repertoire of Sephardic Jews in Sarajevo used in out-group communication, especially among men. I reflect on the language repertoire of the Sephardim during Ottoman (ca. 1565–1878), Austro-Hungarian (1878–1918) and Yugoslav (1918–1941) rule and with respect to inter-Jewish contact with the Ashkenazim, who migrated to Sarajevo during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. The change from Ottoman to Austro-Hungarian and then to Yugoslav regimes resulted in an ideological upheaval and change to the language repertoire. The enduring and stable multilingualism in popular use during Ottoman rule was replaced by languages dominant in Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo, namely Serbo-Croatian and German. Later, in the new South Slavic state, the use of Serbo-Croatian prevailed in public life.