Abstract
Abstract
In post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina language issues have been primarily used to forge national myths and boost ethnic divisions among three major ethnic groups. Such role of language has left little room for linguistically informed education. Drawing on the insights from fieldwork conducted in three high schools with three different settings of first language (L1) teaching, this chapter analyses how linguistics could be incorporated into secondary education of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It describes in detail context-specific properties of L1 teaching in the country’s current education system, which rests on highly conflicting language ideologies and prescriptivist approach to language. Finally, it advances several tailor-made proposals in order to press for structural reforms in the domain of L1 curriculum, with the ultimate goal of promoting dispassionate view of language, linguistic tolerance, and peaceful coexistence.