South Slavs
South Slavs are Slavic peoples native chiefly to the Balkans, including Bulgarians, Macedonians, Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Montenegrins, and Slovenes.
Proto-Slavic: The reconstructed common ancestor of the Slavic languages, spoken before their historical diversification. South Slavic languages descend from this ancestral language.
South Slavic languages: A branch of the Slavic language family comprising languages spoken chiefly in southeastern Europe. Shared linguistic descent provides the grouping's clearest common foundation.
Illyrian movement: A nineteenth-century South Slavic cultural and political movement that promoted a common literary language and cooperation among South Slavs. It sought cultural unity across communities later organized as separate nations.
West Slavs: Slavic peoples of central Europe, including Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks. They share Slavic ancestry but belong to a different regional branch.
Slavic migrations: The migrations of Slavic-speaking peoples across central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, especially during the sixth and seventh centuries. These movements established Slavic-speaking communities across much of the Balkans.
Serbs: A South Slavic people associated chiefly with Serbia and neighboring parts of the Balkans. Serbs are one of the largest peoples included in the grouping.
Yugoslavism: The idea that South Slavs should share a political or cultural community, often associated with Yugoslavia. It turned perceived kinship into a major program of political unification.
East Slavs: Slavic peoples of eastern Europe, including Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. They distinguish the eastern branch from South Slavic peoples.
Balkanization: The fragmentation of a region into smaller, often rival political units, especially associated with the Balkans. Political fragmentation shaped the differing histories of South Slavic communities.
Croats: A South Slavic people associated chiefly with Croatia and neighboring countries. Croats illustrate the grouping's distinct national and religious identities.