Functional Layering of Standard Language

Abstract

Starting from the fact that standardization is a natural development of a standard language in a language community or an attempt of the community to impose a dialect as a standard, the paper Functional Stratification of Standard Language discusses the functions of the standard language, with a special emphasis on the optimization of the standard linguistic norm in the conditions of divergent processes in the formation of Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian languages respectively. The typology of the language stratification is tentatively indicated through the processes of intellectualization, bureaucratization, phraseologization, jargonization and metaphorization.

The language planning must start from the existence of an internal language system by taking into consideration different attitudes regarding the norm selection and the codification in writing grammar books and orthography standardization. It is to be concluded that in forming standard languages, sociolinguistic conditions are equally relevant in both evaluating and reconstruction of the norm as in the elaboration of the actual use of the standard language, which may correspond to a greater or lesser degree to the abstract norms of the standard language.