Grüsse – Pozdrav – Üdvözlet from Vojvodina: Reflections of Multilingualism and Digitization Practices in a Postcard Collection from the First Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

Vojvodina is a province in the north-west of the Republic of Serbia that has been shaped by changing borders, administrative and political systems, but is also characterized by a high degree of linguistic and ethnic diversity. This study examines a multilingual collection of postcards digitized as part of Matica Srpska’s Digital Library. The collection consists of 244 postcards from the Vojvodina region dating back to the first half of the 20^th century. Through the lens of the collection's metadata, the study explores which historical linguistic landscapes appear throughout the collection, and which places are represented. It takes a diachronic approach to language in the linguistic landscapes by tracing different time periods and their respective uses of language.

The results show a clear preference for Serbian-language postcards in the collection. Minority languages, with the exception of German and Hungarian, are absent. The linguistic diversity of the region is therefore represented only to a very limited extent. The current location of the Matica Srpska Library is indicative of the geographical distribution of the postcards in the collection, which focuses on Novi Sad and its immediate surroundings. In chronological terms, the interwar period is the most strongly represented period in our research. This may be due to both past and present circumstances, since the interwar period saw the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rise of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. At the same time, this is in line with the goal of the Digital Library, which is to promote Serbian culture and heritage. The interdisciplinary approach of this study thus allows for new perspectives on both historical linguistic landscapes and current digitization practices.