Edited sentence: Different vernacular languages were spoken in Ragusa and at first this was the (later official) Dalmatian language.During the Middle Ages, the Štokavian (a Central South Slavic dialect, today spoken in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina), entered in use in the city.In the 19th century, the modern Croatian language was standardized on the base of the Shtokavian dialect.Its use increased with the time, with immigration from the inland.The Italian language was also very important to Ragusans, since they traded often with various Italian merchant republics, including Genoa, Tuscany, (Florence), and their arch-rival, the Venetian Republic.The dialect spoken in Ragusa was mostly Tuscan with strong Venetian influence