Between the Word of the Law and Practice: a Case of the Hungarian Speakers in Serbia

Abstract

Abstract. The paper initially presents the Serbian legislative framework relevant to the use of minority languages . The ethnolinguistic vitality of the Hungarian-speaking population in Serbia is then analysed, particularly in the Serbian province of Vojvodina . The paper then focuses upon the sociolinguistic survey of Hungarian language use in Belgrade . The emphasis is placed upon the survey responses related to the awareness of language rights among the Hungarian speakers .