Accent in Public Speaking in Montenegroin the Context of Today's Standard Language Norm

This paper examines the discrepancy between the standard accent norm and the practical use of accents in public discourse in Montenegro. Two initial studies are presented: in one, we conducted a qualitative analysis of accents in a sample of university students; in the second research, we explored public speeches of all 81 members of the Parliament of Montenegro at sessions held in 2021. The results showed that the majority of parliamentarians use ele-ments of nonstandard accentuation in their speeches. In the end, challenges were indicated when it comes to the possible adaptation of Montenegrin scho-ol systems and language norms in relation to the current situation.