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Croatia is a small country in between the Balkan and Mediterranean regions, located in central Europe and Southeast of Europe. With the diverse cultures surrounding the country, people from the Republic of Croatia speak a dialect of native Croatian language and a mix of the dialects of nearby countries. Although this country is not one of those popularly known by many tourists, the Republic of Croatia holds a lot beautiful places and a warm welcome from Croatia's natives. The Republic of Croatia only holds round 20 counties. However, the Croatian Language is so diverse that different provinces make use of different dialects. These languages may have similar word usage and intonation but there are also a few word jargons that differ from county to county. Many language majors find the richness of European dialects fun and interesting to discover. Croatian Language: Standard Literary Usage The standard for all Croatian literature is called the Shtokavian. This central dialect is used in majority by Croats or the natives of the said country. This form of dialect is also utilized mostly by Bosnian and Serbian neighboring countries. This is why the central Croatian dialect is sometimes called as the Serbo-Croatian Language. The Shtokavian isn't the only language that the Croats use for speaking although this is the general language used for all texts and literature. There are also 3 other major Croatian Languages used interchangeably in various counties of the country as the standard Croatian Dialect. These languages are: 1. Chakavian 2. Torlakian 3. Kajkavian The Influence of the Roman Catholic Church on Croatian Dialects, Literature and Scriptures Because the main religion in the Republic of Croatia is Roman Catholic, their culture, literature, scriptures and even dialects are hinted with various Latin languages. The religious scriptures of the country were written in a vernacular that was based on the Baroque Slavism era. This was then later established as the standard dialect and literary Croatian Language. An Overview on the Standardization of the Croatian Dialect During the 17th century, the country was ruled by two different dynasties. Both were in good terms with each other, and were in fact linked through intermarriage. Because of the disparity between the two dynasties, there was a major division in terms of culture and language, which made the natives of Croatia seem separated. With such intentions, the two dynasties acted to merge the divided cultures of the country and created a single dialect to be used by the natives as the standard Croatian Language. The combination of languages came from the 3 dialects Chakavian, Kajkavian and Shtokavian. The process of standardization of the Croatian dialect was then put to a halt when the Roman emperor at the time ordered the execution of the two princes ruling both dynasties. The Croatian language was then reverted back mainly to Shtokavian dialect. The other languages are still used today by some of the native provinces of the country although predominantly, the Shtokavian dialect is used especially when natives cross their neighboring countries, which also have such language for their standard dialect.
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