• Why Study Croatian?
• Programs
• Study Elsewhere Opportunities
• FAQs

Why Study Croatian?

• Croatian is a South Slavic language spoken across the west-central Balkans from the Adriatic Sea to the Danube. It is part of the Indo-European family of languages. It is the official language of the Republic of Croatia and is spoken by Croats living in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring states and provinces, as well as by Croatian immigrants around the world.
• Croatian is used in a strategically vital, multi-national region linking the Mediterranean with the European central and southeastern continental cultural zones. Knowledge of it offers access to important historical cultural treasures, including unique architectural, ethnographic and literary monuments in Europe.
• Students in Arts and Science often become interested in Croatian because of hearing about or visiting the several famous World Heritage sites and cities in Croatia, such as Dubrovnik, the "pearl of the Adriatic," the Roman Emperor Diocletian's Palace in Split, or the first community theatre in modern Europe, located on the island of Hvar. Croatian is also the language of a sophisticated Renaissance literature, as well as rich folk ballads and popular lore.

Programs

• Visit the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures website for more information.
• Consult the A&S calendar for specific course offerings.

Study Elsewhere Opportunities

• Our students have studied at universities in Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Sarajevo and worked as interns with international governmental and non-governmental organizations in other cities throughout southeastern Europe. The department advises students about the very good opportunities that exist for studying Croatian while visiting Croatia and its neighbouring countries.

FAQs

1. Is the Croatian alphabet difficult?
   No. The 30 letters of the Croatian Latin alphabet are very easy to learn. Only five of the letters are written with special marks and are learned almost immediately.
2. How hard is it to learn to read and write Croatian?
   Spelling Croatian is never a problem. There are no double consonants. Each of the five vowels are always pronounced clearly and openly. There are no dipthongs in Croatian.
3. How hard is it to learn to speak Croatian?
   Croatian grammar is extremely simple and consistent. There are very few irregular Croatian verbs and compound tenses are not used in ordinary conversation. The new student will begin to communicate in Croatian immediately.