Nurturing Serbian Language

FOREIGN WORDS AND LOANWORDS

July 15, 2018
Radislava Mila Savkovic
San Issue 13 - Summer/Лето 2018

In order to approximate the importance of the struggle to preserve the language of a people, before giving an example of the replacement of foreign words or loanwords, we always give some expert or scientific opinions on the subject in the introduction. On this occasion we give an opinion about language from Jacob Burckhardt, a Swiss teacher from the University of Basel:

"Language is the most direct, in the highest sense a particular disclosure of the spirit of the people, the perfect image of that spirit, the most enduring material into which nations place the essence of their spiritual life, especially in the words of poets and writers."

And one more, better known to us, Jacob Grimm:

"From everything that people have found and invented, kept for themselves, or communicated to others, from everything they have brought out in community with nature laid and created in them, from all of this, language seems to be the largest, most noble and necessary property."

And in the preface of Vuk's "Grammar of the Serbian Language" of 1824 it says: "Could many nations of the educated world, whose literature is now in full bloom, enjoy a language so rich in words and forms, so picturesque and noble as what is this ugly shepherd's tongue, the Serbian language, which sounds so southern in the southern sky."

Foreign words we can replace with our words:

ambicija (Latin origin; ambition in English) – replace with: стремљење, тежња, настојање, хтење; славољубље, частољубље, жељазауспехом

ambiciozan (Latin origin; ambitious in English)– replace with: славољубив, частољубив, надобудан

deklaracija (Latin origin; declarationin English) – replace with: изјава, обзнана, објава

deklarisati (Latin origin; declare in English) – replace with:изјавити, изјављивaти, објавити, објављиватитврдити, прогласити, проглашавати

deklarisati (se) (Latin origin; declare in English) – replace with: изјашњавати (се), изјаснити (се), исказати (се)

ekonomija (Greek origin; economy in English) – replace with: привреда; господарство, привредностање,  привреднаделатност; газдинство; штедња, штедљивост, чуварност, разумнаупотреба

ekspanzija (Latin origin; expansion in English) – replace with:ширење, проширење, повећање, простирање, растезање, заузимањевећегпростора

epohalan (Greek origin; epochal in English) – replace with:значајан, славан, гласовит

imidž (image in English) – replace with:изглед, лик, облик, слика; углед

impozantan (French origin; imposing in English) – replace with:задивљујући, силан, узвишен; снажан, голем, сјајан; величанствен, велелепан, велик

inovacija (Latin origin; innovation in English) – replace with:новотарија, новина, изум, проналазак, промена, обнова, принова

jubilaran (Latin origin; anniversary in English) – replace with:oбљетнички, свечарски

jubilej (Latin origin; jubilee in English) – replace with:годишњица, обљетница

kampanja (French origin; campaign in English) – replace with:заговарање; покрет; припрема; напор, прегнуће

karakteristika (Greek origin; characteristic in English) – replace with:oсобина, ослика, обележје, својство, својственост, особеност, природа

karijera (French origin; career in English) – replace with:служба, напредовање, успех у служби; занимање, звање

sanirati (Latin origin; sanitize in English) – replace with:лечити, опорављати, поправљати, обновити

sankcija (Latin origin; sanction in English) – replace with:казна, казненамера, казненаодредба

satisfakcija (Latin origin; satisfaction in English) – replace with:задовољење, задовољност, задовољство, извињење, оправдање; накнадаштете

termin (Latin origin; term in English) – replace with:израз, реч, појам, име, назив; рок

tim (team in English) – replace with:момчад, дружина, дружба, друштво, скупина, састав, постава

timski (team in English) – replace with:скупан, скупни

tinejdžer (teenager in English) – replace with:oмладинац, омладинка; младигаламџија, дете, подмладак

univerzalan (Latin origin; universal in English) – replace with:oпшти, свеопшти, свеобухватан, многостран, општеупотрегљив, опћенит, многомогућ, заједнички

univerzum (Latin origin; universe in English) – replace with:свет, свемир, вaсељена, свеукупност, свеопштост

faktičan (Latin origin; factual in English) – replace with:стваран, чињеничан, истинит, збиљан

faktor (Latin origin; factor in English) – replace with:чинилац, датост

fascinirati (Latin origin; fascinate in English) – replace with:опседнути, задивити, опчинити, очарати, удивити

 

A few loanwords:

berićet (Arabic origin; similar toabundance or fruitful in English) - oбиље, изобиље, обиланрод, плод

bina (Arabic origin; similar tohouse or stage in English) - кућа, зграда; позорница

boja (Turkish origin; similar to colour in English) - премаз, маст

boranija (Arabic origin; similar togreen beans in English) - зелениграх, махуне; преносно: ситница, ситнарија,ситнеш, неважно, зелено, неискусно

kaucija (Latin origin; similar to bail in English) - залог, јамство; сигурност, осигурање

kafana(Turkish origin; similar to tavern or pub in English) - крчма, гостиона, гостионица

kašika (Turkish origin; similar to spoon in English) - жлица, лажица

Upcoming Events
October 2026
  • S
  • M
  • T
  • W
  • T
  • F
  • S
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
Fundraising Campaign for SAN

With your donation, you will contribute to the continued existence of the magazine as well as the maintenance of the website. Your name or company name will be included on our page “Our Sponsors”. If you wish you may also choose to remain anonymous (be sure to select the option to donate anonymously in the application). Thank you for considering to support SAN.

Donate Now
Submit Your Announcement