The Status of English in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Edited by Louisa Buckingham

Publication date:

18 July 2016

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781783095964

When Yugoslavia disintegrated in the early 1990s, competence in English was not widespread. This book explores how English came to be equated with economic survival for many during and after the ensuing war through a range of diverse social and professional contexts, from the classroom to the military to the International Criminal Court. While English provided social mobility for many, its abrupt arrival also contributed to the marginalization of those without the adequate language skills. The high level of international intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the last two decades has contributed to a sense of normalization of the presence of English. Viewed as a far more complex issue than simple linguistic imposition, this book explores the widespread adoption of English and its effects on a nation recovering from war.

Introduction

Section 1: English Language Teaching: Policy and Practice

1. Adisa Imamović and Nihada Delibegović Džanić: The Status of English in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Past and Present

2. Kamiah Arnaut-Karović: ‘English for Survival Purposes’ In War-Stricken Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Predicament of Self-Taught Language Teachers

3. Višnja Pavičić Takač and Draženka Molnar: A Journey into the Mind: Exploring Metaphors of EFL Pre-Service Teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina

4. Claire Whittaker: Military English Matters

Section 2: English Language Publishing

5. Asmir Mešić: Think Globally, Write Locally: ELT Materials Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina

6. Alma Jahić: Achieving Visibility in International Scientific Community: Experiences of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Scholars Presenting and Publishing Research in English

7. Louisa Buckingham and Tanja Pavlović: Keeping Economics Local in the Academic Mainstream: Competitive Journal Management Practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Section 3: English in the Media and Politics

8. Adnan Ajšić: English, ‘Polyglot’ Politicians and Polyglot Businessmen: Language Ideologies in Contemporary Bosnian Press

9. Vildana Dubravac: The Impact of English on Language Use in the Bosnian Press

10. Snežana Bilbija and Merima Osmankadić: The High Representative’s Discourse on Minority Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its Representation in the National Print Media

Section 4: The Translation and Interpreting Profession

11. Melisa Okičić: Translating Legislation from and into English: An Overview of Legal Translation Development in Post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina

12. Catherine Baker: Fictionalised Accounts of Translation and Interpreting For Peacebuilding Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo: The Memoir–Novels of Veselin Gatalo and Tanja Janković

13. Louisa Buckingham: Translating Justice at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

This important and timely volume offers absorbing insights into the meanings, uses, and impacts of English as well as into issues faced by English language professionals during the war and in its aftermath in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Focusing on the development of English in this specific context, the book provides a fascinating, vivid and poignant portrait of the Bosnian society in transition.