According to the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in Washington D.C., the country will be honoring the famous Nikola Tesla, electrical engineer and inventor of Serbian origin in making 2006 Year of the Nikola Tesla. One of his greatest scientific contributions was the rotating magnetic field and of the complete system of production and distribution of electrical energy (motors, generators) based on the use of alternate currents. Today the high-voltage coreless transformer also constructed by Nikola Tesla is known as the "Tesla Coil." Science is by no means my field of expertise, but the lives of men who do great things certainly fascinates me. If you find yourself headed to Serbia this year to check out the Tesla Museum you may want to know some Serbian. Just a tad.

Today's word is a Serbian word used in Serbia and Montenegro:


meaning Welcome!

I can only imagine seeing this word somewhere in the airport when arriving, not to mention various other places in the country which makes it quite appropriate for today's selection. You can click here or on the word above to go to BBC to hear audio on the word. For the most part Serbian is spoken by Serbs everywhere and is apart of the Stokavian dialect (former standard of the Serbo-Croatian language). Serbian School online is completely free and a great place to start for those interested in learning. While their services are free they do ask for PayPal donations which I suggest giving whatever you can if you planning on using their guides. Bookmark the site and check back daily for their word of the day or refresh to learn a few in one day. Join the Serbia Language and Culture Workshop during summer for intensive sessions with other like-minded foreigners. As usual Lonely Planet has the nifty pocket-sized phrasebooks to help you along the way in Eastern Europe. This particular guide has small sections devoted to a number of languages in the region.

Filed under: Learning, Europe, Serbia