Bosnian is a South Slavic language spoken primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it is one of the official languages. It is also spoken by Bosnian communities in neighboring countries and in the global diaspora. Bosnian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is one of the standardized varieties of the Serbo-Croatian language.
Bosnian is written using the Latin alphabet, though the Cyrillic script is also used in some contexts. The language has a phonetic spelling system and a grammatical structure that includes seven grammatical cases, grammatical gender, and verb aspect. Bosnian vocabulary reflects influences from Turkish, Arabic, and Persian due to historical and cultural ties.
Bosnian plays an important role in cultural identity, education, media, and public life. It has a rich tradition in literature, poetry, and oral storytelling and remains a key means of communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
