Differences between Balkan ethnicities?

[Theseus1234]

OK, I'm writing a paper for an international relations class and, while researching Kosovo, I came across a curious question: What is the exact difference between Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians? Seriously, I don't see anything discernible between them except in name. What are their differences?

[Exarch]

religion i suppose
and other cultural differences

i think some of them might be more 'turkic' than others
just my guess

[CiviC]

First of all, you have to separate Albanians from Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. Albanians speak a entire different language and have an entire different culture. They are supposed to be of Illyryan stock and language, anyway entierly different from Slavic peoples like Serbians, Croats and Bosnians.

As for Serbians, Croats and Bosnians, they have the same origins and speak basically the same language, but their ethnicity is based on religion thus on a different culture.

[razor-]

Croats (and Slovenians) are catholics and write in latin script.

Bosniaks are muslims, cant remember what letters they use.

Serbs (and Montenigrins and Macedonians) are orthodox and write in cyrilic

All these speak languages that are Southern Slavic

Albanians speak their own entirely different language and are muslims


Don't want to hijack the thread, but can anyone elaborate on Hercegovinians, how much are they different from Bosniaks?

[Theseus1234]

Ahh I see. Thank you guys!
And razor, that wouldn't be hijacking the thread at all.

[Stavroforos]

Most Balkan peoples are Slavs, except the Romanians, the Illyrians (Albanians), and the Greeks, the latter two forming their own separate ethnicity.

[Carpathian Wolf]

OK, I'm writing a paper for an international relations class and, while researching Kosovo, I came across a curious question: What is the exact difference between Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians? Seriously, I don't see anything discernible between them except in name. What are their differences?

Well the first thing to keep in mind is that in the Balkans there is a heavy substratum, genetic and cultural, which everyone shares. I usually refer to Illyrian, Dacian and Thracian (the former two are branches of Thracian more or less) as well as Hellenic (which may or may not be pretty much the same thing, the division being more cultural than anything else depending on which Greek origin theory you follow.)

So after getting that out of the way it's also important to realize that it isn't fair to just say "oh so they're all the same thing then." Well yes and no. It's safe to say that genetically yes that is true, but culturally although there are many similarities (as you would have in the Anglo-Germanic countries) you also have distinct aspects which should not be ignored.

So going back to the substratum aspect, that is composed of the Thracian layer (including Dacian, Illyrian and Greek) which were Hellenized/Latinized AKA Romanized. So at one time almost everyone in the Balkans spoke a Greek language or a Latin language. Then you had the Slavic invasions. The thing about migratory people and migrations in general is that they happen in much lesser numbers than the established populations. But that is not to say that there was not a large linguistic impact. So if you are saying Serbs, Bosniaks, Croats, Bulgarians are Slavs, you would be correct to say that in the linguistic sense, incorrect to say that in the ethnic/cultural sense. Kind of like calling Mexicans or Peruvians as Latins.

The Slavic linguistic influence is most prevalent in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, FYROM and Bulgaria. In Romania latin remained prevelant while in Greece the greek remained the language. Albanian is kind of an odd language. I'd characterize it as a mixture of Italian, Slavic, Turkish and Quranic Arabic.

Culturally the Serbs and Bulgarians (including FYROM) are Orthodox with the Romanians and Greeks. The Albanians and Bosniaks are Muslims while the Croats are catholic.


Edit: One more thing. Montenegrins are Serbs. People from FYROM are Bulgarian/Serbian.

[vopohame]

Carpathian is pretty accurate, the majority of the balkan population is indigenous to the region rather than as a result of invasion.

One thing I noticed in the western balkans is that the town folk tend to be more Mediterranean looking and the villages tend to have more of an identifiable slavic appearance. However as an outsider I see little difference in Croats, Serbs and Bosnians in culture, language and any other way of defining anything. Most of the difference is in each populations historical development.

Most people are nominally religious so religious difference is often superficial and based on ones heritage rather than actual practice. While there are differences the differences are incredibly minute. There are more differences between the urban and rural populations than there are between the ethnic groups.

My wife's family is mixed marriage so I get to see the Serb and the Bosniak sides all the time and the difference is mostly when they celebrate holidays. You cant say there is a linguistic difference because that is often regional as a person from Sarajevo will sound different then a person from Brcko no matter what ethnicity. My Croat brother-in-law would spit on what I just said though lol.

People from Herzegovina are not identifiable as an ethnic group but along with Dalmatia, they have a very high level of indigenous ancestry more so than the rest of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia.

[4th Regiment]

Vopohame and Carpathian Wolf summed it up more or less. And more clarification about south Slavic languages.

You have Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian and Bulgarian language and they are relatively similar, and mutually mostly understandable, but distinct languages. People in FYROM speak something which is southern Serbia speech or western Bulgarian speech...100% understandable by both Serbs and Bulgarians.

About Serbo-Croatian it is 100% one language, and there are not even something as Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian etc dialect, but all of this groups speaks according to region. For example Croats, Serbs and Muslims from Mostar (capital of Herzegovina) speaks the same. Serbs and Croats from Slavonia speak the same etc etc. Those regional differences are not even dialect, as almost all Serbs, Croats and Muslim speak one dialect – "štokavski" . Other two dialects are almost extinct - "čakavski" spoken nowdays maybe in few rural communities in isolated Dalmatian islands and "kajkavski" , in rural areas near Croatian-Slovenian border (transition between Slovenian and Serbo-Croatian). So, those differences are called “speeches”, minor differences mostly in ascent and some local words and expresions of the region.

[RomanSoldier9001]

OK, I'm writing a paper for an international relations class and, while researching Kosovo, I came across a curious question: What is the exact difference between Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians? Seriously, I don't see anything discernible between them except in name. What are their differences?

Then you need more reading! The differences are several of course the obvious of being different peoples just like anny other nationality. But main differences would be ethnic and linguistic groups Bosniaks Serbians Croatian Macedonians(Slavs from FYROM) Slovenes Bulgarians Montenegrinis are indoeuropean slavs,Hungarians are part of non indo european Finno-Uggric group Romanians are indoeuropeans part of Latin Group,Greeks are Greeks and are Indo European and Albanians are Albanians.
Religion is also difference and many times is different in same ethical group Christianity is main religions of Balkan Peoples but Islam also has present in general the folowing peoples are Orthodox Christians:
Serbians
Bulgarians
Macedonians(FYROM)
Greeks
Montenegrinis
Romanians
Catholocism has a strong present in Hungary and Croatia were majory is Catholic this has been one main differences betwen them and the Serbians.
Finaly Islam is strong on Bosniaks and Albanians altough Albanians also have great number of Christians and people that arent believers Atheists(probaly a mark of Radical Communist Rule of the past).
Minoroty groups are also found in Balkans such as ,Gypcies ,Turks,Germans, these "Minority" groups folow several religions aswell the gypscies depends of wich country they reside so that means that you can find Muslim and Christian Gypcies,Turks are mainly Muslim in fact they are backbone of muslim minorities in countries like Bulgaria. The Germans I am not sure they are very few Germans now found.(Consequence of WWII),

[CiviC]

Then you need more reading! The differences are several of course the obvious of being different peoples just like anny other nationality. But main differences would be ethnic and linguistic groups Bosniaks Serbians Croatian Macedonians(Slavs from FYROM) Slovenes Bulgarians Montenegrinis are indoeuropean slavs,Hungarians are part of non indo european Finno-Uggric group Romanians are indoeuropeans part of Latin Group,Greeks are Greeks and are Indo European and Albanians are Albanians.
Religion is also difference and many times is different in same ethical group Christianity is main religions of Balkan Peoples but Islam also has present in general the folowing peoples are Orthodox Christians:
Serbians
Bulgarians
Macedonians(FYROM)
Greeks
Montenegrinis
Romanians
Catholocism has a strong present in Hungary and Croatia were majory is Catholic this has been one main differences betwen them and the Serbians.
Finaly Islam is strong on Bosniaks and Albanians altough Albanians also have great number of Christians and people that arent believers Atheists(probaly a mark of Radical Communist Rule of the past).
Minoroty groups are also found in Balkans such as ,Gypcies ,Turks,Germans, these "Minority" groups folow several religions aswell the gypscies depends of wich country they reside so that means that you can find Muslim and Christian Gypcies,Turks are mainly Muslim in fact they are backbone of muslim minorities in countries like Bulgaria. The Germans I am not sure they are very few Germans now found.(Consequence of WWII),

Romania and Hungary, but also Slovenia and a large part of Croatia aren't exactly in Balkans. Generally Balkans are South of Danube and Sava River. Romania has only two counties geographically in Balkans; culturally Romania has Balkanic influences mostly in Wallachia, while the other two thirds, Moldavia and Translylvania don't look Balkanic at all; Transylvania has a Central European specificity, while Moldavia leans more to Eastern Slavic specificity. Hungary is no doubt Central European, nothing Balkanic there. Also Wallachia and Moldavia never had Muslim populations, they remained very homogenous ethnically and religiously, and by this they differenciate very much from the Balkans who have as specificity the admixture of Slavs, Greeks, Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Orthodox, Muslims, etc. and as a result a certain culture but also the potential for ethnic and religious conflicts. While "Balkanisation" means fragmentation in small states, Romanians had a contrary evolution, to coagulate into a large state.

[removeduser_487563287433]

OK, I'm writing a paper for an international relations class and, while researching Kosovo, I came across a curious question: What is the exact difference between Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians? Seriously, I don't see anything discernible between them except in name. What are their differences?

Language in some cases. But most "ethnic" differences are psychosymatic. Of course the majority of Albanians are Muslim.

[Sphere]

The catalyst that created the divide was religion. Ethnically and linguistically there is not much difference, but the separation caused by the different religious communities over time led to the creation of differing nations of people.

That being said there are still different groups within the broader religious umbrella's, (Herzegovans/Bosnians, Serbs/Montenegrins but these are far less distinct divisions.

[Theseus1234]

OK well thanks for the clarification, everyone! Continue discussing if you so desire.

[MathiasOfAthens]

I was under the impression that Albanians are or are seen to have originated from the area of Georgia...

The Balkans are like Afrika but on a smaller scale.

[Atatürk]

I was under the impression that Albanians are or are seen to have originated from the area of Georgia...

I think Azerbaijan used to be called 'Albania'.

[Trax]

Albanian is kind of an odd language. I'd characterize it as a mixture of Italian, Slavic, Turkish and Quranic Arabic.

What is this nonsense?
Albanian is an isolated language within Indo-European group.
It has no close relatives, much like Greek or Armenian.

[Carpathian Wolf]

What is this nonsense?
Albanian is an isolated language within Indo-European group.
It has no close relatives, much like Greek or Armenian.

It isn't non sense.

[removeduser_487563287433]

What is this nonsense?
Albanian is an isolated language within Indo-European group.
It has no close relatives, much like Greek or Armenian.

That doesn't make it an isolate language. Isolate languages are the only known members of their families, and like you pointed out Albanian and Greek are in fact in the same family. Although relatively isolated languages, they are not isolates.

The only example of a European isolate is Basque.

[CiviC]

That doesn't make it an isolate language. Isolate languages are the only known members of their families, and like you pointed out Albanian and Greek are in fact in the same family. Although relatively isolated languages, they are not isolates.

The only example of a European isolate is Basque.

You are right, as both Albanian and Greek are part of Indo-European languages, however those laguages are "isolated" branches of Indo-European.

More likely they aren't isolated, just lonely -they need a hug (I'm feeling so compassionate right now).