Comprehensive Study Guide for Serbian Language and Literature Entrance Examination
Foundations of the Serbian Language and Slavic Literacy
Serbian belongs to the Western South Slavic language community. The foundation of Old Church Slavonic, the first literary language of the Slavs, was the language of the Slavic tribes in the vicinity of Thessaloniki. The first Slavic script was Glagolitic. In the development of the standard Serbian language, the Šumadija-Vojvodina dialect served as a primary linguistic basis. Vuk Stefanović Karadžić's 1818 publication of the "Srpski rječnik" (Serbian Dictionary) is classified as a trilingual dictionary, including Serbian, German, and Latin equivalents. In his reform of the Cyrillic alphabet, the letter "h" was the last addition Karadžić introduced. The year was a landmark in Serbian culture, witnessing the publication of Đura Daničić's "Rat za srpski jezik i pravopis," Petar Petrović Njegoš's "Gorski vijenac," and Branko Radičević's "Pesme"; however, Sava Mrkalj's "Salo debeloga jera" was published much earlier, in .
Phonology, Phonetics, and Sound Changes
In the hierarchy of linguistic units, the phoneme is the unit of a lower rank than the morpheme. Sounds are classified by the place of articulation (e.g., labial, dental, and velar sounds) and the manner of articulation (e.g., plosive, fricative, and nasal sounds). In standard Serbian, the short-falling accent is the only one that occurs solely in monosyllabic words. Several sound changes are fundamental to the language. Voicing assimilation (jednačenje suglasnika po zvučnosti) is evident in words like "potpetica," "ispuniti," "otplata," and "ropski." The transition of the consonant "L" to "O" (prelazak glasa l u o) occurs in words such as "sto," "radionica," "kotao," and "deoba." These changes, along with jotation and the simplification of consonant groups, are essential for understanding word evolution.
Morphology and Word Formation
Word formation involves several elements, including prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and roots. In the word "pročitati," the segment "pro-" is a prefix, while in "nadzidati," "nad-" is the prefix. A word like "put" is considered simple in its formation, whereas "zidar" is derived from "zid." Parts of speech are divided into inflected and uninflected categories. Verbs possess morphological categories such as person, number, aspect, and mood, but they do not use case. Conversely, nouns possess gender, number, and case, but not person. Pronouns, adjectives, and numerals are noun-like parts of speech, while prepositions are uninflected. Cases in Serbian are divided into independent (Nominative and Vocative) and dependent (all others). Possession can be expressed through the Genitive case. Comparison (komparacija) consists of positive, comparative, and superlative degrees and is applicable to adjectives and certain adverbs.
Syntax and Lexicology
Syntax is the grammatical discipline that studies sentences. For an utterance to constitute a sentence, it must contain a verb in a finite form (lični glagolski oblik). The predicate of a sentence can be verbal or nominal (e.g., "Marko je student"). Whether a sentence is compound is determined by the number of predicates it contains. Adverbial clauses of time or place can replace simple adverbs, such as "Idem kuda me put vodi." Lexicology examines relationships between words: synonyms are words with similar meanings (e.g., "vasiona" and "svemir"), antonyms are opposites (e.g., "dole" and "gore"), and homonyms are words with the same form but different meanings. Idioms, such as "biti u tuđoj koži" (to be in someone else's shoes), are also central to the study of language usage.
Standards of Orthography and Punctuation
Correct Serbian orthography requires precise application of sound changes and capitalization rules. The word "potpredsednik" is the correct spelling, reflecting voicing assimilation. Adjective comparison for "visok" results in the form "viši." Specific rules govern abbreviations and dating: "npr." for "na primer," "p. n. e." for "pre nove ere," and "SNP" for "Srpsko narodno pozozište." Temporal or decade-based references should be written as " godina." In geographical and institutional naming, "Severnobačkom okrugu," "Bulevaru kralja Petra," "Ulici brestova," and "Hram Svetoga Saве" follow specific capitalization standards. Historical periods and events, such as "Prvi svetski rat," was a conflict lasting from to . For dates involving sequences, the hyphen is used with spaces between dates only if full dates are written, otherwise written as "."
Introduction to Literary Theory and Ancient Works
Literary science encompasses literary criticism, theory of literature, and the history of literature. The term "belles-lettres" (beletristika) is of French origin and signifies creative or fine literature. In narrative theory, the plot (syuzhet) is the sequence of events as they are presented in the literary work, differing from the chronological story (fabula). Ancient literature includes the "Epic of Gilgamesh," featuring the character Enkidu, and Homer's "Iliad," which depicts the rage of Achilles. In the Christian tradition, the Gospels are stories about the life, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, written by evangelists like Matthew. Medieval Serbian literature is characterized by hagiographies like "Žitije svetog Simeona," written by Saint Sava, and works by Despot Stefan Lazarević like "Slovo ljubve."
Representative Works of Serbian and World Literature
Serbian oral tradition includes epic poems like "Boj na Mišaru" (Liberation of Serbia cycle) and characters like Banović Strahinja, who famously forgives his unfaithful wife. In nineteenth-century realism, Laza Lazarević's "Prvi put s ocem na jutrenje" is narrated by the boy Miša. World literature features Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" set in Verona, Dante's "Divine Comedy" featuring Paolo and Francesca, and Balzac's realist novel "Old Goriot." Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" introduces Count Vronsky, while Franz Kafka's modernist "The Trial" explores legal absurdity. Later twentieth-century works include Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," where Vladimir and Estragon wait for the titular Godot, and Albert Camus's "The Stranger," centered on Meursault.
Major Authors and Literary Figures
Modern Serbian literature is defined by figures such as Miloš Crnjanski, who wrote "Seobe" and "Dnevnik o Čarnojeviću," the latter beginning with the line "Autumn, and life without meaning." Ivo Andrić, author of "Na Drini ćuprija," created characters like Ćorkan and featured Father Petar in "Prokleta avlija." Meša Selimović's "Derviš i smrt" features Ahmed Nurudin and Mula Jusuf. Dobrica Ćosić's "Koreni" follows the Katić family, including characters like Tola Dačić and Aćim. Poets like Jovan Dučić ("Suncokreti"), Milan Rakić ("Dolap"), Aleksa Šantić ("Pret prazničko veče"), and Milutin Bojić ("Plava grobnica") shaped the symbolic and modern poetic landscape. Desanka Maksimović's "Tražim pomilovanje" remains a classic of contemporary Serbian poetry.
Literary Stylistics and Verse
Stylistic figures enrich literary expression through various linguistic transfers and comparisons. Metonymy is seen in the phrase "čitam Andrića" (reading Andrić's work), while synecdoche uses a part for the whole, such as "konjske noge" for the horse. Metaphor involves symbolic comparison (e.g., "biserni zubi"), and personification attributes human traits to nature (e.g., "livada sanja"). Onomatopoeia mimics natural sounds (e.g., "cvreči cvrčak"), and irony implies meaning the opposite of what is said (e.g., "ti si mi 'divan' priјаtelj"). Allusion refers to other texts or events (e.g., "Zar i ti sine Brute"). Verse structures include the epic decasyllable (deseterac), characterized by ten syllables with a pause after the fourth, common in oral epic poetry.