The Status of English in Bosnia and Herzegovina

When the former Yugoslavia disintegrated in the early 1990s, competence in English was not widespread. This book explores how English became equated with economic survival for many during and after the ensuing war. The diverse range of themes, from the classroom to the military, offers a comprehensive account of the evolving status of English.

Louisa Buckingham lectures at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, multilingualism and area studies.

Louisa Buckingham lectures at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, area studies and multilingualism.

The greatest value of this book lies in local authors cogently documenting the permutations of the spread of English in Bosnia-Herzegovina as influenced by military, political, socio-economic and instructional factors. It provides excellent examples of how unique local functions of English can be embedded in the larger regional and international contexts.

Michael Kelly, University of Southampton, UK:

This inspiring volume shows how and why English became a key to mobility and a language of hope in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The authors write with passion and insight about the rapid social and linguistic changes they have witnessed, as English moved from being a tool for survival in the 1990s to become a means of international engagement today.

Bojana Petrić, Birkbeck, University of London, UK:

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.