Or are they merely dialects of the same language (what some call Serbo-Croatian)?
133726
I must respectfully but forcefully disagree with the first response.  Serbian and Croatian (as well as Bosnian) are very closely related Slavonic languages, but they are very different in a few respects.\n\nThe most obvious is that Croatian uses the Roman (Latin) alphabet, while Serbian uses the Cyrillic (a.k.a. Russian) alphabet.  During the time when Yugoslavia was a single nation, the official language was "Serbo-Croatian", an official middle ground between the two, which could be written in either script.  But even though speakers of Serbian and Croatian usually understand each other quite well, the two languages actually continue to evolve separately, and under the influence of other languages. Serbian has more words borrowed from Turkish and Greek, Croatian has more words coming from Latin or German languages.\n\nFor the record, the division between Serbian and Croatian is not a recent phenomenon due to the recent war, but goes back to the 11th century, when that region converted to Christianity, and the Serbs decided to follow the Eastern Orthodox Church, while the Croats followed The Roman Catholic Church...\n\nI hope this helps
246488
Both are same but the voice is different. Second one is in passive voice and sounds more formal.
470458
They are only on the same page ("B") in the encyclopedia.\n\nAnywhere else, they're ideologically very different people.
320042
Now who are those idiots saying that Jesus spoke English...When everybody knows that Jesus spoke SERBIAN :-))
108238
To me they are pretty much the same.
530917
They're two completely different countries. Why anyone would get them mixed up is beyond me. The only similarities are the similar names and the border they share.
387682
Actually, one can pronounce it either way...and a couple other ways in addition. It's nothing more than a phonological difference in dialect.
369023
No, they are the same.
122421
Nothing. They are two names for the same thing.
544032
Oh, yes, I have heard people speaking Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, French, Japanese, Creole, Latin.\nNow ask a serious question. Enough with the jokes
253851
I always wondered  myself\n\n\nThe etymology of the word "Serb" (root: Srb) is not known. Numerous theories exist, but none can be said to be certain or even probable:\n\n   1. Some say that the name comes from saborac, meaning "co-fighter." This could make sense but the words are too dissimilar. It is possible that saborac comes from sebar (that sebar sometimes meant "co-fighter"), which would make this theory more interesting, but there is not much basis for this claim either.\n   2. Some believe that the name is of Sarmatian/Iranian origin. From which particular word it derives is unclear. However, one theory suggests it derives from the word "Sarv" which means "cypress" tree.\n   3. Some [9] believe that the name comes from srkati, meaning "to suck in", referring to people so closely united as if they share mother's milk.\n   4. Also, others argue that all Slavs originally called themselves Serbs, and that Serbs (and Sorbs) are simply the last Slavs who retained the name. If this is true, it still fails to explain the origin of the Slavic name (most of the above may apply).\n   5. There is also theory that name Serbs derived from the Caucasian word "ser", which means "man".\n\nHowever, one thing is certain: the name is very old. It is clearly a self-identification and not a given name as its root cannot be found in western European languages.\n\nthe rest will be in Serrbian since I don't know how to translate\n\nrpski istoricar Jovan Rajic u "Istoriji Srba" (1794), iz starih izvora, izvodi poreklo Srba od Hunskih Sabira. Drugi izvori to izvode iz Srbata - Sarmata, a takodje i od reke Serbice (izmedju Eufrata i Tigra, Mesopotamija, danasnji Iraq). Neki autori ime Srba izvode iz reci Sobranie (zbor, sabor) i slicno, a neki ga prostorno vezuju za Sibiriju, jednu od nasih prapostojbina. Ceski istoricar Pavel Safarik vezuje srpsko ime za reci Sjarbin, Serb, Serbin, Sibrin, sto su sve oblici znacenja roda, naroda, a sto ima isto znacenje sa latinskom reci "gens" i "natio" ili indijskom reci Serim, sto znaci narod iste krvi. Neda Marinovic u opisu najstarijeg naroda na Balkanu iznosi da Srbin, u starodavnom indijskom jeziku, sanskritu, iz koga su potekli svi indo-evropski jezici, medju kojima i srpski, oznacava slobodnog coveka, junaka, koji se vecito bori za sopstveni opstanak. Prema ruskom istoricaru Veltmanu u delu "Atila i Rusi" ime Srbin od starine odnosilo se na vojnicki, ratnicki stalez u Rusiji, a rec Srb znacilo je vojnik, hrabar covek i navodno od Srba su postali Kozaci. I dan danas oko reke Volge rec Serbo oznacava porodicu, rod, svojtu, a kod Belorusa rec Sabr ili Sjarb znaci silu, mnozinu velikog naroda iste krvi i jezika. Kod Velikorusa rec Serbi znaci zdrav, junacan, silan soj ljudi. Kod Luzickih Srba rec Sorab ima znacenje coveka najrazboritijeg, najlepseg, najodabranijeg u tom rodu. Kod Ukrajinaca rec Sirbin znaci gospodovati. U srpskom narodu od davnina postoji pohvala pokojnika, za koga se smatralo da je bio dobar sa visokim odlicjima, koja kaze "Bas je pravi Srbin bio i srpski ziveo". A u Crnoj Gori hrabrog junaka su hvalili sa "Srb od Kosova". I u turskom jeziku reci Sirb i Serb imaju znacenje naroda jednog kolena, hrabrog, ubojitog i nepokornog. Kod starih Persijanaca rec Sarb znaci glava, staresinstvo. Kod Arabljana, Haldejaca i Jevreja rec Srb znaci slobodan covek, junak, nepokoran. I u starom sanskritskom jeziku rec Serbh znaci ne dati se nikome, a koren te reci znaci seme, koleno i rod. Safarik i Kolar su citirali, takodje, da rec Srbi oznacava rodjake, svojtu.....
671990
No, both programs do the same thing but speak a different language and use different authentication... it would be like you talking in English to someone who only speaks Korean and all the while you are trying to figure out(as are they) if they are who they say... and vice-versa...
444583
no\nthey are not the same
263963
OK.... \nYou are obviously talking about the referendum scheduled to take place on may 21st. To see weather Montenegro decides to break the union.\n\nAs to your question what is is the difference between Serbia and Montenegro, and why they both want to be separated...can I try to answer both questions together..\n\nI'm sure you know that Montenegrins do not hate Serbians...\n\nI think the reasons they want independence are...\n\nMontenegro was always an independent mountain state and never part of the Serbian empire. First time these countries joined was after the first world war war.. So now that every other country has left Yugoslavia, so does Montenegro..\n\nI think there are of course many similarities (as with all former yug states...But I think they are some difference..\nMontenegrins (most!) speak with the western dialect closer to Croatia, and Serbians use the Eastern. If I am correct Monenegro was never under Ottoman rule. So there are some different cultural differences.\n\nOther reasons are of course more modern... I think that Serbia and Montenegro have been separating for some time. How long has it been since Montenegro stoped using the dinar??\nIt is in Montenegro's advantage to leave..because they can now enter Europe quicker...and won't be penalised for not handing over Mladic and Karadzic like Serbia is.\nAlso Montenegro is a small country and it is eay to be lost in Serbia but independent it can find it's own way.\n\nAnd as for Serbia...personaliy I don't think Serbians care one way or the other..They are concerned with getting over the mess of the Yugoslav wars and starting a fresh.\n\nWELL...These are my opinions as an outsider.....\n\nI understand your concerns and I felt the same way until I visited Motenegro, and now I think separation is for the best...I know that there are many Montenegrins especially in the North you feel closer to Serbia...but I still think that Montenegro and Serbia will still be close even if they are separate countries :-)
156620
Blahblah has answered you very well and I do think that is an answer from an intelligent person that knows quite a few things. However I do feel I have to add and correct some things in the answer that blahblah gave. \n\nThe people that call them selves Macedonians today were not alive 200 years ago :) but even then even though a Macedonian state did not exist and even though the language was still not codified there were people that definitely felt Macedonian and worked on the “Macedonian cause” (look into the collected documents of the UK diplomacy regarding Macedonia).\n Two questions that came to my mind as I read blahblah’s answer were: “Does he know what a dialect is?” and “Just how much does he know of Bulgarian or Macedonian language?”   \nThe grammar of both languages has distinct features both morphological and syntactic. While, the lexis of Bulgarian contains a large number of Russian borrowings infused through great Russian influence Macedonian does not have what you called Serbian loan words because in most cases those are Old Church Slavonic words (A language which is dead now but served as the origin for all three languages). \n\nSo to answer the question, there is a Macedonian nation with quite a distinct language.
533091
All of the above, they are all different areas. It is the U.K. but all those places are in the U.K. And supposedly they like to be called Brittish and not English...which I never knew but then I was pelted with that after I asked a question calling them "English".
651548
Good you posted this in 'languages' as you seem to speak a different one...