Montenegrin (Crnogorski jezik, Црногорски језик) is a name used for the Serbo-Croatian language as spoken by Montenegrins; it also refers to an incipient standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian used as the official language of Montenegro. The same subdialect of Shtokavian is also the basis of standard Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, so all are mutually intelligible and are a single language by that criterion despite being distinct national standards.

The idea of a Montenegrin standard language separate from Serbian appeared in 1990s and gained traction in 2000s via proponents of Montenegrin independence. Montenegrin became the official language of Montenegro with the ratification of a new constitution on 22 October 2007^{[citation needed]}. The Montenegrin standard is still emerging. Its orthography was established 10 July 2009 with the addition of two letters to the alphabet, though grammar and a school curriculum are yet to be approved.

In January 2008, the government of Montenegro formed the Council for the Codification of the Montenegrin Language, which aims to standardize the Montenegrin language according to international norms. Proceeding documents will, after verification, become a part of the educational programme in Montenegrin schools.

Montenegrins (Montenegrin: Црногорци, Crnogorci, pronounced [tsr̩nǒɡoːrtsi] or [tsr̩noɡǒːrtsi]) are a South Slavic people, associated with Montenegro.

Slavs have been present in the region since the 7th century. Montenegro got its name during the rule of the Crnojević dynasty which was the first Montenegrin royal house. After the violent Christmas Uprising (1919), which saw fighting between the pro-Petrovic guerillas and the Karadjordjevic troops, there was significant^{[citation needed]} opposition to unification with Serbia although a majority of Montenegrin people were in favour of unification. After the end of World War II the population changed overwhelmingly in favour of separate Montenegrin ethnicity (91%) due to Montenegrin self awareness^{[citation needed]}. Following the collapse of Communism in Yugoslavia, however, some Montenegrins began to self-identify as Serbs again, while the largest proportion of citizens of Montenegro still preserved their Montenegrin self-identification - Christians and Muslims all together. This has deepened further since the movement for full Montenegrin independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began to gain ground in 1991, and ultimately narrowly succeeded in the referendum of May 2006 (having been rejected in 1992). The Montenegro Serbs do not consider themselves separate from the Montenegrin nation but instead believe that all genuine slavic Montenegrins are Serbs by ethnicity, and that the Montenegrin nation is one fraction of Serbdom.