Investigating Preference for the Use of Anglicisms among Secondary School Native Bosnian Speakers

Edina Rizvić-Eminović, Delaludina Šukalić, Arnela Tursanović

While earlier studies on anglicisms in the Bosnian language have primarily focused on the frequency of their use and their influence on the Bosnian language system, there has been a growing need for research that examines speakers’ preferences for anglicisms in comparison to native Bosnian lexical equivalents, as well as their readiness to use anglicisms in everyday communication.

Younger generations—particularly secondary school students who are extensively exposed to the Internet and social media—are often assumed to be frequent users of anglicisms and key agents in their dissemination. Based on this assumption, the present study aimed to investigate whether secondary school native Bosnian speakers show a preference for anglicisms over corresponding Bosnian words.

To address this research objective, an online survey was conducted among secondary school native speakers of Bosnian. The results indicate that the participants do not exhibit a strong preference for anglicisms over their Bosnian equivalents. Moreover, the findings suggest that, on average, anglicisms are not used frequently in the everyday speech of the surveyed population.

These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of anglicism usage among young speakers and challenge common assumptions regarding the dominance of anglicisms in the linguistic practices of secondary school students.